Political Mentorship Program Municipal Elections. Information Document

Transcription

1 Political Mentorship Program 2013 Municipal Elections Information Document

2 Background The Outaouais region has 67 municipalities with the same number of mayors and 415 municipal councillors. Out of these, there are 37 people 35 years of age and under (15 women and 22 men)1 that sit on a municipal council a percentage of 8.9 versus 10.6% in the province. Furthermore, there are no young adult mayors, as opposed to the 1.9% of mayors in Quebec who are young adults 1. The Table jeunesse Outaouais (TJO) offers a political mentorship program aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of young adults in the municipal politics of the Outaouais region and at increasing the number of young adult candidates in the November 2013 municipal elections. The project The goal of the project is to pair current or former elected officials with young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 who are interested in running in the upcoming municipal elections in the Outaouais region. The partnership will run the length of the campaign, preparing the candidate for the elections on November 3, Objectives The four main objectives of the Political Mentorship Encourage the next generation of politicians in the Outaouais region and increase the representation of young adults at the municipal level. Increase the number of young adult candidates in the November 2013 municipal elections and the number of elected young adults in the Outaouais region. Facilitate the participation of young adult candidates in the 2013 municipal elections. Contribute to the acculturation of young adults to the norms and values of the political scene, especially equal representation of men and women Statistics. Conseil du statut de la femme. Présence des femmes et des jeunes dans les lieux décisionnels et consultatifs Outaouais (07), Quebec, Government of Quebec, 2012, p. 2.

3 Definitions Political Mentorship "Political mentorship is a type of privileged partnership, free and voluntary, that is focussed on an investment relationship between an experienced political mentor and a less-experienced mentee such as an elected official in their first term or a person intending to run in the election. Mentorship focusses on experiential learning in the context of the elected persons roles and duties becoming more complex; it also takes into account the partisan side of power. This relationship is respectful of confidentiality and anonymity 1. Mentor A mentor is an experienced person with confidence and wisdom, which has taught them the value of sharing their knowledge with other, less-experienced people. They are motivated and eager to share their skills, their knowledge and their life vision with a younger (or less-experienced) person in order to support the mentee in achieving their personal and professional goals 2 Mentee A mentee is most often a person looking for professional and personal accomplishment and who is motivated to use the knowledge, skills, and values shared by a superior to achieve their goals Translated from Martine Blanc and Christine Cuerrier, Le mentorat en politique auprès des femmes. Un mode d accompagnement, Montréal, Éditions du remue-ménage, 2007, p. 55. Ibid. p. 57. Ibid. p. 57.

4 Logistics Clients The TJO program brings together, in a dyad, a mentee and mentor in a relationship based on confidence, respect, and confidentiality. MENTEE A mentee is a potential candidate, aged 18 to 35, for the 2013 municipal elections. The person can be in their first term or be running for the first time. They must live in the Outaouais region. They can also be residents of the Outaouais region aged 18 to 35 with an interest in municipal politics. MENTOR Any municipal councillor in the area or former councillor who lives in the Outaouais region can be a mentor, no matter their age or experience in politics.

5 Logistics Structure To participate in the program, those interested must fill out the form available at A young adult will then be matched with a mentor according to the needs, availability, values, personality, and political vision of the participant. Furthermore, a young adult can suggest a mentor that they would like to be paired with. In this case, the program manager would get in touch with the chosen person. THE DYAD During the first meeting, the participants will determine the logistics: how often they will meet, the objectives, the topics to discuss, and the means of communication (telephone, Skype, , in person, etc.). The two parties will also sign a mentorship mutual agreement. The program manager will later be in charge of a periodic follow-up (number of meetings, dyad development, knowledge and skills acquired, report, etc.). Everything related to what goes on in the dyad will stay confidential between the two participants. The TJO s Political Mentorship Program aims to help and support young candidates in their political endeavours. Depending on the needs expressed by the young adult, the mentor and mentee can discuss topics related to knowledge (ins and outs of politics, electoral process rules, understanding municipal administration and municipal organization, the role of an elected person, etc.), experience (communicating, networking, anticipating problems, arguing, forming political strategies, problem solving, etc.), and inter-personal skills (self-confidence, motivation, relationship skills, etc.) during their meetings. ACTIVITIES Throughout the program, the mentors and the mentees will be invited to attend certain activities (information sessions, conferences, networking activities, etc.). At the end of the project, they will be asked to evaluate the mentorship program. LENGTH Unless the participants of the dyad decide otherwise, the length of the mentorship can extend from the first meeting until the elections on November 3. If the participants choose to do so, they can continue the afterwards partnership outside of the program. If, over the course of the program, the partnership did not comply with the needs and expectations of one or the other of the participants for some reason, it can end after the program manager is advised.

6 Month Day Year Partners The Political Mentorship Program of the TJO is made possible through the financial support from the Secrétariat à la jeunesse and the signatories of the Entente spécifique en matière d égalité entre les femmes et les hommes en Outaouais: Assemblée des groupes de femmes d interventions régionales (AGIR), Conférence régionale des élus de l Outaouais (CRÉO), ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l Occupation du territoire (MAMROT), Secrétariat à la condition féminine and the Table jeunesse Outaouais. The Table jeunesse Outaouais would like to thank the following people for their expertise, their advice, and their generosity during the implementation of the program: Martine Blanc, specialist in political mentorship; Youla Bourgouin, citizen participation officer for the Commission jeunesse du Bas-Saint-Laurent; Joany Brodeur, responsable du mentorat d affaires de la Chambre de commerce de Gatineau; and Julie Sheinck, person in charge of the municipal politics mentorship program of Récif 02, the Table de concertation des groupes de femmes Saguenay Lac-Saint-Jean. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Karine Parenteau Political Mentorship Program Director Table jeunesse Outaouais mentorat.tjo@gmail.com