[Perform-Talk] Announcing our new Mentoring Program!

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hello all,

I am excited for tonight's membership call-the first of 2016-and I
hope you are, too.  Before I join I want to make you all, especially
those who will not be able to call and hear about it tonight, aware of
the new mentoring program.

How it works: I have created four separate google forms with surveys.
Each survey represents a different section of performing arts.  For
now we have surveys for musicians, dancers, actors and actresses, and
public speakers.  Completing the survey will provide the Performing
Arts Division with valuable demographic information we can use to get
to know our members better, as well as be your ticket to signing up
for the mentoring program should you choose to participate.  The first
section of each form simply asks for general information, including
your name and contact information.  The second section will ask more
detailed questions about your experience, level of training, what your
goals are for the future, etc.  The survey should not take long to
complete, and is approximately 32 questions long both sections
combined.

The Performing Arts board will not share your information with anyone
else, and is only asking for it so we can better serve the needs of
our membership.  If  you wish to join the mentoring project a member
of the committee will facilitate a connection using email only, and
will be there to advise mentors and mentees as needed throughout the
mentoring process.  We hope that the mentoring program will benefit
all who participate, as well as the division at large.

What happens next?:  The program will officially launch tonight, and
surveys will be sent out to this list soon after.  From there members
can complete the surveys, and the data will be collected and organized
in a database.  If you just submit the survey to help the board get to
know you, then you will be done upon completion of your survey.  If
you sign up for the mentoring program we will wait till March 11th to
allow 2 weeks for the pool of mentors and mentees to build up, then
matches can be made at that time.  Every effort will be made to match
mentors and mentees so that mentors can be of the greatest help,
interests are shared, and the two people are generally suited for each
other according to the survey, but the Mentoring Project committee
cannot promise anyone a mentor right away as we have no control over
the number of responses we will receive.  At any point in the program
participants can contact nfbpad.mentoring at gmail.com with concerns or
questions.  This is a dedicated email account for the program.

Please note that in the event of accessibility barriers the surveys
may be filled out in Microsoft Word.  Should anyone experience
unexpected difficulties with the form or not be able to access it with
the technology they have, they may request a word copy by emailing
nfbpad.mentoring at gmail.com.  I am happy to accommodate and enter the
information manually once it is returned to that email address.

Thanks all, and if you have any questions please let me know.  I hope
to hear from some of you on tonight's call as we officially launch the
program!

Sincerely,
Kaiti Shelton
Secretary, The National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts
Division 2015-2016
Performing Arts Division Mentoring Project Committee Chair.
"You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back!"