Become an Undergraduate Leaders Mentor

How does this partnership work? 

Every year, we work with a select number of Minnesota-based organizations to offer participating students an opportunity to complete a seven month long project, October to April. Each student team will receive direct mentorship from a representative of their partner organization (called the Community Mentor) and their work will be overseen by a staff member from IonE (called the Team Coach). 

Participating students receive a stipend from the IonE, formal leadership and teamwork training and coaching on their project. Each student is expected to commit to 100 hours towards the community partner's project. 

See a few examples of past partnerships. More examples are available upon request.

Criteria for partners 

• Your organization has a specific need, problem or challenge that would benefit from the diverse skills, perspectives and creativity of undergraduate students
• Your project contributes to sustainability and social equity in Minnesota
• One person from your organization is able to serve as a Community Mentor, meeting students regularly to provide guidance on the project and give feedback on students’ work
  • Mentors are expected to commit two–four hours per month to this program 
• An honorarium will be provided to partner organizations or individual mentors, if eligible under University policy, to acknowledge the time and expertise for student mentoring

What is the community mentor’s time commitment? 

Mentors from partner organizations are expected to dedicate two–four hours per month to mentoring their assigned student teams. This allocated time encompasses running check-in meetings with the students, providing guidance on project timelines and goals, giving feedback on students’ deliverables and coordinating any other miscellaneous tasks. An honorarium will be provided to partner organizations or individual mentors, if eligible under University policy, to acknowledge the time and expertise for student mentoring.

We expect each student to dedicate two–three hours per week (or approximately 100 hours) from October to April to working on their assigned project. This allocated time includes participating in regular meetings with teammates and mentors from partner organizations. Students will be provided a stipend to support their participation.

Please keep in mind that this partnership is NOT meant to be an internship, in which individual students are assigned distinct roles and expected to follow directions from a supervisor. We see the Undergraduate Leaders projects as a space of open learning, where students and community organizations deliberate on ideas and co-create solutions.

If you are looking to recruit interns, consider hosting UMN students enrolled in Fall & Spring Internships (SUST 4096: Sustainability Internship) or Summer Internships (Sustainability Corps).

Timeline 

• Summer: Projects are shaped in collaboration between IonE staff and partner organizations
• Mid-August: Student application opens and project overviews are available for students to indicate their preference(s)
• Mid-September: Student application closes and IonE staff match students to projects
• October: Community mentors meet their student team members and programming begins
• Late April: Projects wrap up and programming closes