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Women’s Mentor Pilot Program During this 10-week program, coaches will be supported by the ASC team to drive gender equity and positive sport experiences for women and girls within their club or organisation. The pilot program provides an immersive experience focusing on equity, inclusion and cultural safety to provide greater access to sport. It’s about enabling, empowering and supporting women mentors, with the tools to influence positive change and navigate change management in their clubs or organisation. All program participants will be required to nominate either a sponsor or peer support from their club or organisation. The peer support or sponsor will attend selected joint sessions with the core group of participants and will also participate in targeted workshops to define and explore their role in driving gender equity. Applications for the 2025 Women's Mentor Program will open in December 2024 Sponsor or peer support role Peer support A peer support or ally may be a fellow coach, committee member, administrator, staff member or volunteer who works with you at your club or organisation. Having a peer support attend the sessions with you, ensures you haven an advocate within your club or organisation as you work to drive change and increase gender equity. Sponsor A sponsor may be your manager or head coach, a committee member or a fellow staff member. A sponsor provides the benefits of a peer, with the additional commitment to providing you and your mentees opportunities to develop and progress. Opportunities may include: shadow or assistant coaching sessions with other coaches professional development networking providing a reference for job applications other activities that specifically target your career progression or that of your mentees. What to expect The pilot program will take place in Sydney, Cairns and Perth. Pilot program participants will attend 3 in-person sessions over a 10-week period. In between these sessions, coaches will put their learning into practice, mentoring women and girls into coaching roles. Between the in-person sessions, participants will attend a virtual check-in session (no longer than one hour). The following topics will be explored during the in-person sessions: You and how you support Understanding yourself and how you interact Understanding and connecting with others Mentoring Facilitating quality conversations. The modern coaching approach The modern approach to coaching Adapting coaching practices to modern societal expectations Change management Positively influencing change within your club or organisation. Inclusion and how you engage Designing inclusive environments Sport environments that mirror the Australian population Welcoming and belonging Engaging with diverse communities through a person-centred approach. Coaching women and girls Women and girls’ psycho-social coaching considerations Women and girls’ physical and physiological considerations Body image and disordered eating Providing optimal sport environments for women and girls. Diversity of applicants The ASC welcomes applicants who reflect the diversity of the Australian community and encourages individuals who identify as women from the following backgrounds to apply: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culturally and linguistically diverse LGBTIQ+ people with a disability. ASC also welcomes applicants with a diversity of experience. While some coaching experience is essential, applicants are asked to highlight other experience that’s relevant to the mentor program, such as teaching experience, other roles in sport (as an official, committee member, administrator etc), or participation in other mentor programs. Eligibility To be eligible for this pilot program, applicants will need to: identify as a woman. There are no gender requirements for the sponsor or peer support. be 18 years of age or older be working with a club or organisation where you can mentor women and girls into community coaching roles identify either a peer support or sponsor from their club or organisation who will attend components of the program have coaching experience (minimum of 2 years). While coaching experience is required, the ASC also encourages applicants who possess a combination of other relevant experience, such as teaching experience or participation in previous mentor programs. Key dates and venue Perth Sydney Cairns Participant support The following support options are available to applicants. Eligibility Interested in the program but not sure if it’s right for you? Please email coaching@ausport.gov.au to discuss. Support to attend Support is available to enable attendance at the program for those who may not otherwise be able to attend. This could include (but is not limited to) translators, childcare, breast feeding area or bringing a support person. Please email coaching@ausport.gov.au to discuss how ASC can support you. On request, ASC will supply you with a letter of support to your employer to attend the pilot program. Application evaluation All applications will first be assessed against the eligibility criteria and then all eligible applications will be evaluated by an internal assessment panel at the Australian Sports Commission. Evaluation criteria Relevant experience Coaching experience, or a combination of coaching experience with other relevant experience Readiness to mentor Demonstrates readiness to commence (or continue) mentoring either during the pilot period (preferred) or after the pilot Relevance and motivation Clearly articulates why they are intrinsically motivated to take part in the program Clearly articulates a vision for positive impact at their club or organisation.
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