The Evaluation Group - Services and Approach

E-Connect

E-Connect is a major component of MN HS/HT  and is a modified mentoring program that utilizes electronic communication and occasional face-to-face meetings to connect high school students with employees of local companies that may have a strong technology component in their day to day operations. E-Connect is based on an electronic mentoring model, Connecting to Success, that was developed at the Institute on Community Integration.

E-Connect Curricula for E-Mentoring

The E-Connect curricula are lesson plans written for teachers to guide e-mentors in the kinds of email communications to have with their e-mentees when participating in the E-Connect e-mentoring program. See more at E-Connect Curricula for E-Mentoring.

How it works…

  • Schools connect with local employers to form a mentoring partnership, with employees committed to spend a short period of time each week corresponding with students via e-mail.
  • Teachers guide and monitor the process, integrating the mentoring experience into class activities and into career exploration and awareness.
  • Occasionally during the school year, mentors and students meet face-to-face at structured, school-sponsored events.
  • MN HS/HT staff provide support for the project and state agency service providers lend their expertise when needed.

Our philosophy…

  • MN HS/HT sees students with disabilities looking forward to learning at school, developing social competence through relationships with caring adults, and developing plans for their careers.
  • We see schools forming dynamic, interactive partnerships with local employers, using their combined strengths to develop creative solutions to educational and workforce issues.
  • We see mentors in communities immersed in sharing their gifts, experiences, humor, encouragement, and career knowledge while their mentees awaken to new possibilities in their lives.
  • We see employers and community members learning more about the capabilities of youth with disabilities while youth gain the skills and confidence to strive with determination toward their highest goals.

How electronic mentoring differs from traditional mentoring…

  • Communication occurs mostly through e-mail
  • Relationships are more time-limited
  • Screening and monitoring procedures differ
  • Mentors can often engage in e-mentoring during their work day

MN HS/HT E-Connect is curriculum-based mentoring—each week the teacher posts discussion questions relevant to career and work-focused curriculum for the mentor and mentee to discuss. It also includes unstructured interaction in which mentor and mentee allow the relationship to unfold in keeping with common interests.

What's included in the E-Connect model…

  • One-to-one mentor matches for the duration of one semester or an academic year
  • Mentoring within the context of a school setting
  • Partnerships between schools, communities, and employers
  • Oversight by a program coordinator, teacher, and employer-liaison
  • Training for all participants
  • A flexible model that can be adapted to the needs of each school and each company
  • A youth development approach to build resiliency and self-reliance
  • A career and work emphasis

Contact us for more information about E-Connect.