Inviting ideas for Increasing Mentee-Mentor Communication at 7cups!

Thank you for the initiative @Fristo

My suggestions are:

1. I think Noni can give suggestion to connect a QM

2. A link or option to connect a QM in the Dashboard or chat screen would help better.

@Fristo

With Care Team, we do advocate for finding mentors, especially among the listeners we are welcoming to the platform. I think it would be cool to do "meet the mentors" monthly events/parties in GSC for all mentors to gather and just have a fun guided/open chat. :) ('Remembering when..' we first started, what we are learning now, what we learned along the way etc).. maybe "meet the mentor" interview posts. Highlighting a mentor each month- and then encouraging mentors to support the interviews to boost attention, with information about mentorship below each interview.

Creating a dashboard for activity for listeners to keep track of listeners who reach out/receiving ongoing mentorship, to keep track of checking in (check-in dates recorded) especially in case communication falls flat, and maybe for ambassadors to see patterns in listener/mentee retention/progression and correlation between supports received by mentors.

Or having 2 mentors host/co-host an AMA/party event bi-weekly/monthly, and each mentor can volunteer based on availability- with a minimum of 1 every 6 months or something like this? This could be recorded on a dash as well.

Just some ideas off the top of my head😅🥹🌸

@Fristo, @ASilentObserver, @Heather225, @GlenM

Firstly, I'd like to commend the dedication and commitment of everyone here in fostering a supportive, empathetic environment for both members and listeners alike. The essence of 7Cups, the Member-Listener connection, is undeniably a cornerstone of the success and impact this platform has had on countless lives. Mentorship plays a pivotal role in ensuring that listeners continually grow, adapt, and evolve in their capacity to assist those in need.

Since Fristo was kind and thoughtful to reach out and seek genuine feedback... I'd like to first give a shout out to the Listener Coaching Team (which I'm a part of) that does mentorship requests in a number of ways as well. Reaching out to them would be, I think, a good starting point in the spirit of fruitful collaboration amongst other activities.

Now onto some of the suggested ideas :) The ideas are grouped into 3 categories:

1. Unpaid/Free Options
2. JITT Generic Feedback/Concerns (as it can impact mentorship)
3. Paid Options (Yes... why not? Good/Great Mentors are hard to come by in general in any platform and some creative feedback has been given that can benefit 7 cups as well)

1. UnPaid/Free Options

1.1 Integrated Mentor Prompts: Implement system-based notifications or prompts for listeners to check-in with mentors after a set period or number of chats. These check-ins could be as simple as discussing challenging interactions or seeking guidance on refining their listening techniques.

1.2 Mentorship Milestones: Create a structured mentorship program that provides listeners with milestones or goals, enhancing their skills at each level. Achieving these milestones could be incentivized with badges or LinkedIn shareable certifications on & off this platform. After all both mentee and mentor are Volunteers at the end of the day and mentorship is indeed a time consuming activity.

1.3 Scheduled Mentor-Mentee Meetups: Organize regular, perhaps monthly, online meetups or webinars where mentors can share experiences, tips, or even conduct mock sessions for listeners. This would not only help listeners gain insights but also build a community spirit among them.

1.4 Feedback Mechanism: Develop a mechanism for members to provide anonymized feedback about their sessions, which can be shared with listeners and, if necessary, discussed with mentors to glean learnings.

2. JITT Generic Feedback/Concerns

With the assistance of AI, like Noni, is a commendable step forward in ensuring that our listeners are equipped with the necessary tools to provide meaningful support in real-time. The beauty of JITT is its immediacy; by providing contextually relevant guidance at the exact moment of need, it has the potential to drastically improve the quality of our interactions.

The cautionary approach in integrating AI, emphasizing human-to-human connection as primary, is both necessary and commendable. It ensures that while AI assists in facilitating the conversation, it doesn't overshadow or replace the human element, which is the core of 7Cups.

However, it's crucial to provide listeners with comprehensive training on using this new tool effectively and ethically. It’s not just about leveraging the suggestions provided by Noni but understanding the reasoning behind those suggestions. This would not only make the AI tool more effective but also help in the overall growth and development of the listener.

Moreover, communication and feedback loops will be of paramount importance. The initial stages of the JITT rollout will undoubtedly come with its challenges and areas of improvement. Regularly sourcing feedback from listeners using the system, as well as from members who interact with these listeners, will be invaluable in refining and enhancing the tool.

3. Paid Options

Now, let's look at some creative paid options that can effectively leverage the Mentors' expertise and time, while ensuring that these are aligned with the goals and values of 7 Cups.

For each/collectively of the paid option(s) suggested, the mentor can receive 90% of the subscriber fee and 7 cups can keep 10% - This way 7cups is not necessarily pressed to invest out of their own pocket as well. Fee can start anywhere between $5 - $100 as an example (Pricing template taken from how Patreon platform works with different tiers that are generally made available).

3.1 Premium Mentorship Programs: These would provide members access to specialized mentoring sessions, personalized growth paths, and direct communication with experienced mentors. These could include:

1. a. Weekly Virtual Workshops: Engaging, themed workshops on listening skills, empathy, emotional intelligence, etc., guided by expert Mentors.

   b. One-on-One Coaching: Personalized coaching sessions for listeners who want to deepen their skills.

   c. Peer Group Support: Organized mentor-led support groups for like-minded listeners to share and learn.

   
   

   3.2 Mentor-led JITT with AI Integration: This could provide the listeners with on-the-spot training using AI, but with added mentor supervision. This ensures that AI-generated suggestions are refined and aligned with the human-centric ethos of 7 Cups. Mentor is paid for their time using JITT in a number of ways that will help with the integration process.

   
   

   3.3 Subscription-Based Mentorship Community: Creating an exclusive community space where subscribers can access private dedicated forums, live Q&As, AMA's etc., with the Mentor/Mentors.

   
   

2. 3.4 Specialized Listening Pathways: Development of advanced listening courses led by mentors, focusing on specialized areas like crisis intervention, addiction support, youth counseling, etc.

   
   

3. 3.5 Mentor-Listener Partnership Program: A program where listeners can pay to partner with mentors for a specific period to achieve targeted growth goals. This would include regular check-ins, feedback, and customized exercises.

   
   

4. 3.6 AI-Powered Personalized Mentor Matchmaking Service: Utilize AI to analyze listener profiles and preferences to match them with the most suitable mentors. This could ensure a more targeted and effective mentor-mentee relationship.

   
   

5. 3.7 Research and Continuous Improvement Subscription: Listeners can contribute to ongoing research and development, which includes access to new features, AI tools, and exclusive mentor-led events. This supports innovation within the platform.

   
   

   3.8 Volunteer-to-Premium Pathway: Offer a program where volunteers can start as listeners and then pay for additional mentorship to become certified or specialized listeners. This can foster career development in mental health support.

   
   

6. 3.9 Mentor-Driven Wellness Tools: Development of interactive digital wellness tools like personalized guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, or journaling prompts, created in collaboration with Mentors. Access to these tools could be subscription-based.

By implementing a subset of the above paid options, 7 Cups could create a robust framework for advanced learning and personal development. These would make good use of the mentors' time by placing them at the heart of continuous learning, personal growth, and community-building, while also potentially providing additional revenue to support the free aspects of the platform.

The paid options will definitely attract only those mentees and mentors that are serious about not only helping others but striving to perfect their Active Listening Skills amongst other things. I know the post is a lengthy read and I purposefully wrote it that way so that we don't have Quality Listeners/Mentors leaving the platform should they feel unheard at the very least in context of the Mentee~Mentorship relationship. Thank you.

@Fristo

Hey hey Fristo 💜 thank you so much for posting this!

I've been reading through the replies, and most of what I can think of has been mentioned already :o and there's also lots of amazing suggestions - I loves it ♡

I think maybe adding a welcome message, automatically sent to everyone who joins - even if it's through Noni. Letting people know about mentors when they join and maybe a forum link added explaining how helpful they are along your 7cups journey! Or even adding it to the training when you first start - making it mandatory to search and browse mentors as a part of it.

I think this could also filter out some of the accounts that arent here for the right reasons - as they may not want to go through the process of getting a mentor and talking to them first! ♡ However this would be really helpful to those who want to best support others 💜

I Think To increase mentee-mentor communication on 7 Cups, we could consider implementing regular check-in prompts, organizing themed discussion groups, offering interactive workshops, and providing a user-friendly platform. These strategies could foster more meaningful and consistent interactions.

@Fristo

Thanks for creating this post with the intention of collecting ideas to problem-solve! I'll work with you on organizing them to determine what we can action from the admin side.

And thanks to everyone here who's contributing to this thread! I'll be sure to shout out to those whose ideas we wind up being able to implement. Your brilliant minds and support continue to make 7 Cups a better place. ♥

@Fristo We can make reaching out to Mentors a requirement. 🙂

Update! Fristo has kindly compiled all of your wonderful ideas into a document I have been parsing and there's quite a bit we can make use of to improve the mentor track! Once we've got things organized, I'll make a new post on further developments. Thanks for your help and collaborative brainstorming, everyone!