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Program Mentor Training Camp 2014
This year, TUF kicked off its summer program mentor training with a residential camp that brought together the new, returning as well as departing program mentors from three cohorts. The purpose was to strengthen the understanding of the new hires on their role and to better prepare the team for its mission through a variety of team building activities.
The weather was hot and humid, but the team came prepared with T-shirts, shorts, insect repellents and lots of sun blocks when it checked in at the HKFYG Jockey Club Sai Kung Outdoor Training Camp on July 29th 2014. The team might have come with different level of experiences, but they shared the same excitement on what they were going to do in the next three days.
On the first day, Simon Chan, director of TUF, led a discussion on TUF’s history, mission and values that define the TUF program. More informal sharing was held over the BBQ dinner and nighttime gathering when PMs from all “eras” shared their expectation and education philosophies.
We had more team activities on the second day of camp. Through lots of interactive activities, we tried to convert our vision into practice; to accelerate the building of team spirit and to offer the new staff a taste of the life of a program mentor. The day ended with a night-time sharing on the experiences; specifically, what they had learned from the challenges encountered during the day. The sharing allowed the team to envision the opportunities as well as barriers that lie ahead in the next 24 months.
The training camp ended with a touching video produced by the 1st and 2nd year mentors summarizing the challenges they had overcome and the results they had achieved in the past two years. It also left a question for the new program mentors to contemplate – are they ready for the challenges lying ahead and to reach their goals with the support.
