Part I: Creating an Electronic Mentoring Community

PART I of this book, comprising Chapters One through Four, addresses the philosophy and purpose of online mentoring. It tells how to design an electronic mentoring community, recruit and train participants, promote online discussion, and begin to explore the topics of success and self-determination.

The entire content of this book can be found at at the titular page of this book. Use this electronic version to cut, paste, and modify appropriate content for distribution to participants in your electronic community; please acknowledge the source.

Chapter One provides an introduction to the philosophy and purpose of online mentoring and explores its benefits to participants. Along with the complementary video, DO-IT Pals: An Internet Community, this chapter shares the model of the DO-IT online community.

Chapter Two explains a step-by-step process for setting up an online mentoring community where young people are supported by caring adults. A complementary video, Opening Doors: Mentoring on the Internet, reinforces basic mentoring concepts and methods and documents the value of online mentoring for both mentors and protégés. How DO-IT Does It provides the context in which an electronic mentoring community is employed as a strategy to promote the success of people with disabilities.

Chapter Three addresses orientation and training to help new mentors prepare for the unique challenges of online mentoring. It includes email messages for mentors, as well as guidelines to send to new protégés regarding communication and Internet safety.

In Chapter Four mentors and protégés begin to explore the topics of success and self-determination. Five stories of success and self-determination are presented in the video series Taking Charge: Stories of Success and Self-Determination. This chapter introduces the content explored in depth in PART II of the book.