Mentors Mentoring
Providing Agency and Input
Written by AgentShades
Three months ago, I watched a gentle friend of mine gleefully push the button to nuke a neighboring nation. A few days later, I was setting up my own profile in the game called NationStates. I debated far too long on names, mottos, and other facets of my fictional country until eventually I pressed go. Almost immediately I found myself drowning in telegrams. It seemed there was another layer to this casual browser game I'd stumbled across. I began poking through these messages, learning about regions and region-level play. I don't remember what exactly it was that pulled me toward Euro, although I remember being impressed by Malashaan's telegram. The forums were professional and a good mix of fun and politics, so I applied for citizenship and lurked. In the months since joining, I've been fortunate to have several people take the time to help me integrate into the often opaque and deeply layered world of regional politics and culture. If it were not for these mentors, I probably would not have decided to stay and get involved. Euro is a complex place and without somebody to explain and help integrate, I'd have felt excluded and confused.
Obviously I hold a positive outlook on the idea of mentors, and as a relative newcomer I feel it would be appropriate for me to weigh in on why mentors are so important to the integration process and what makes a good mentor. Before I'd actually gotten citizenship masking, I posted some of my thoughts on bicameralism of the Citizens' Assembly. Shortly after that I got telegrams from a number of people welcoming me and one from CA Chair Ninja Kittens specifically asking if I'd like to serve as a Deputy Chair to the CA. I was quite frankly floored but excited at the prospect of having real work to do so soon. Despite not meaning to do so, this was the first time NK helped with the mentoring process. Through my first few assignments for her I got the chance to comb through the CA and read what had been going on before I'd joined well enough to write the Month in Review. Just by giving me a job to do and trusting that I could get it done if given the requirements, Ninja Kittens provided the first part of effective mentorship: agency.
Agency, in this context, is the chance for my actions and work to have an impact. I was no longer just "the new guy." I was involved. I was writing and researching and doing something that mattered beyond simply sharing my thoughts on a topic. Giving a new member agency and trusting them to accomplish a task creates ties and gives them a reason to care enough to stick around. It's a lot easier to fade into inactivity if you don't have any real responsibility. This piece is less obvious than other parts of mentorship, and it's probably a lot harder to accomplish since not every newcomer can be given a job to do immediately. I got lucky since there was a slot available for me. Doing the Big Thwack, however has shown me that most, if not quite all, new citizens immediately head to either the Navy or one of the Ministries to throw their hats in the ring, and that is a fantastic opportunity to grant some agency to them. Give them an article to write, a task in a festival, or include them in a Naval Op. It might require a bit more time to get them up to speed, but the dividends count when that person sticks around, stays involved, and grows as a regional contributor.
As I started to participate in Skype discussions, find my footing with MinComm and other places around Euro, I found a few new mentors as well. Ninja Kittens remained a great source for information, always being willing to answer questions, share thoughts, or even just tell stories about things that had happened in Euro before I came around. She provided a lot of context through which I could understand the various workings of the region. At this point Mousebumples also came alongside to suggest ways to improve, to grow, and contribute. It's Mouse's prompting that got me to start Mixlr broadcasts. These are more obvious areas of mentorship but no less important for being so. New people don't know things, and being available and willing to fill in those knowledge gaps and provide that context is hugely helpful to a newcomer. Even better if you can actively seek them out and share your thoughts, not in an obnoxious way but a PM saying, "Hey, I know the elections process can be confusing, are you following it alright? Need any questions answered," is rarely a step in the wrong direction. While not all newcomers need prompting to push ahead and be ambitious, some people can use a gentle nudge to grow. I wouldn't have stood for CA Chair if it weren't for several people asking me if I'd given it any thought, and while I didn't win, I am glad I was able to run because it taught me so much about Euro and showed me how much I still had to learn.
Lastly, about a month after I joined the region, I was encouraged by several people to join the Europeian Action Action Coalition. Up until this point I'd given essentially no thought to political parties. I didn't want to join and then immediately "get political." It didn't help that my impression of political parties was shaped outside of Euro, and I didn't particularly care for the idea of two opposing blocs sniping at each other. Fortunately, that isn't how politics works here, and a month in I was sufficiently convinced to give the EAAC a shot. Here I found an extension of the mentoring I'd already been given by NK, Mouse, and others before I joined. Suddenly I had a deep well of experienced people willing to answer questions, give honest feedback, and suggest things I could do to grow. The first few weeks there I became infamous for always following people's statements with "What's that mean?," or "What does that acronym stand for?" or "Who is Zenny?" But no one ever complained. People were happy to fill me in and help me process the discussions and culture of which I'm now a part. Am I saying newcomers need to join a political party? Absolutely not. Honestly I think some time spent independent of party participation was instrumental in my integration into Euro as a whole and not just one part of it. I formed my own opinions on things before I joined the EAAC, and I think that's valuable for a newcomer. However, after some time being mentored by a few specific individuals independent of any party, it's' been good to have a wider pool of experience available.
In sum, newcomers like me are thirsty for input and excited about getting involved. A good mentor can channel that excitement by granting agency to newbies and quench that thirst for input with context and explanations. I'll always be grateful to the people who came alongside me as I joined Euro, and hope that one day I'll be able to pay it forward with another newcomer. If you're considering being a mentor or looking for people willing to mentor you, I'd encourage you to take a look in the Citizen's Assembly at the Volunteer Mentor Society. It's a specifically created resource to connect those that need somebody to take them under their wing to find help and also allow those with experience to pass it along to the next generation of Europeians. Thanks for reading, and if you've got a story to share about your own mentoring experience I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
