Everything you need to know!
During this year, you will be supported directly by your Mentor, but also by a team dedicated to ensuring that this program continues to be a positive experience for you. Whatever difficulties you may face, you won't be alone.
Your Support Team
Your Mentor & You
The friendship you will develop with your Mentor is at the heart of the BTS program. You will be matched with someone who is close to your age and shares similar interests as yours.
Match Experience Ambassador
While you will be connected with a Mentor, your will also be matched with a Match Experience Ambassador. Your MEA will check in with your Mentor and you once a month, individually, to offer support if you encounter issues within the program.
Heartsupport Staff
Our Community Manager oversees the well functioning of the program by supervising MEAs. They will also intervene when their support is sollicited by MEAs, your Mentor or you.
Professional services
In case of an emergency, professional services can be sollicited by your Mentor or our Staff who are trained to identify situations that require it. Your safety will always be our priority.
Your Mentor
Who are they?
Your Mentor is a volunteer who signed up for the program in order to offer their support. Before they get matched with you, they validated our required criteria in terms of empathy and self-efficacy, were interviewed individually, went through a background check and completed training for their role.
What is their role?
They will be a safe friend to talk to. Someone who walks alongside you on your personal journey. They will be present during a year through both the good and bad times you may encounter in your life. They are an ally who will help you feel safe reaching out about things that are difficult to express. They will listen to you without any judgment and they will also celebrate your progress with you!
What is not part of their role?
Your Mentor is not a personal therapist nor an expert of what you are going through. They are not a professional, therefore their role is not to advise you or to coach you. They will not tell you what to do with your life, and they won’t try to diagnose the situation you’re in or to provide medical advice. They are a friend sharing life with you, who values you and your well-being at all times!
Your MEA
Who are they?
Match Experience Ambassadors (“MEA”) are volunteers who applied to offer support to both Mentors and Mentees throughout their year of mentoring. Each MEA is assigned up to 10 matches and their main goal is to support the well functioning and growth of the matches they are connected with.
What is their role?
Your MEA will be your very first contact person in case you need support regarding your relationship with your Mentor. In practice, they will listen to you, help answer questions you have about the program or mediate situations that requires their intervention. They are also directly connected to our Staff and ensure a regular communication with them.
What is not part of their role?
Your MEA is not a second Mentor. Their sole objective is to support both you and your Mentor in making sure that you have a positive experience together. If there is a conflict or an issue between your Mentor and you, they will be there to help and offer guidance.
How to contact them?
After you’ve completed this training, you will be matched with a Mentor and the both of you will be connected with the same MEA. You will be given the contact information they provided in their initial application and they will receive yours. They will also individually reach out to you on a regular basis to see how you’re doing and how your relationship is progressing.
Staff Support
We have at heart to keep this program safe at all times and for everyone.
You can reach out to our Community Manager directly if you encounter any of the following situations with one of our volunteers:
Inappropriate behavior when you interact together
Harassment of any kind
Discrimination towards you
Email them at [email protected] and they will hear you out.
Marie-Anne - Community Manager