Applications Due Nov. 19 for Club Mentoring Program

Applications are due Friday, Nov. 19, for participation in the 2010 National Press Club Mentoring Program.

Here's are testimonials from participants:

From a mentor: "I am interested in continuing with the program. This year's mentorship with Anthony has been terrific. You hit on the perfect match. He is very bright and already has tons of experience for a relatively young age. At the same time, he is an eager learner. Of course, I've learned things from him, too. Keep up the good work. It is good to see some energy in a program that brings such value to NPC members."

From a mentee: "I was new to DC at the beginning of this year and as a young journalist wanted to join the Press Club to be up to speed in the journalism circuit. I soon discovered the NPC mentor program. As someone who didn't initially know the inner workings of DC and wanted to learn from a veteran reporter, I have found the mentor program to be amazing. I believe it has been a learning experience for both of us. It's a great networking opportunity, and my mentor has been extremely helpful. He has suggested good story ideas and taken a strong interest in the stories I write. And it's always great to hear and learn from his experiences as a journalist and editor. I look forward to continuing the program. I would recommend this program to anyone!"

Volunteers are especially needed to serve as mentors. This is a one-year commitment aimed at benefiting members at all stages of their careers.
The program is open to journalists and PR professionals.

Once matches are made, mentors will be given a copy of the mentee's application. After meeting at a kick-off reception and based on what the mentee said in the application, mentors and mentees can mutually agree on how often they would like to have contact and under what circumstances. At minimum, a mentor should allow for roughly two hours of interaction a month. Some relationships may involve more, some less.

Mentors can expect to be asked to critique reporting/writing, help with a resume, act as a sounding board, provide a reference, advise on navigating the ways of Washington any maybe even have a drink at the Reliable Source.

For mentees, be as expansive as possible in answering questions on the application so the best possible match can be achieved.

Past mentees have gone on to land assignments writing front page stories at USA Today, reporting from Iraq and more. Each year, there are normally more individuals seeking to be a mentee than there are mentors, so please consider being a mentor to a young member if you have the time. This year, we are particularly in need of veteran club members with experience in public relations or public affairs.

The program is sponsored by the Professional Development Committee at the Eric Friedheim National Journalism Library; to apply, fill out the online application at: http://press.org/services/professional-development/national-press-club-mentor-program.

-- Rod Kuckro, [email protected]