Mentorship Foundations Training

Workshops will be held virtually and in person for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Mentorship & Peer Programs Foundations Training is a 5.5 hour program to help you get the most out of your peer support experience by building your definition of leadership, identifying strengths and finding a community of peers on campus! This program will prepare you to serve as a mentor or peer advisor in a peer support role.

The training covers topics that are common to peer mentors and advisors across the University of Toronto, St. George campus.

Training options

Please note the difference between synchronous and asynchronous sessions:

Synchronous sessions are hosted both virtually and in-person for the 2022-2023 academic year. Please ensure you note if the session is virtual (via Zoom) or in-person.
Asynchronous sessions are take-home activities (available through the CLNx Program Tracker) that you can do on your own time.

Synchronous sessions
Boundaries in Your Peer Support Relationship (2 hours)
- Identify and communicate boundaries.
- Describe how to respond to an urgent situation in an online setting.
Creating an Inclusive Environment (1.5 hours)
- Define an inclusive environment/relationship.
- Determine inclusive strategies that Mentors/Peers/Advisors can employ in their relationships.
Facilitating Groups (2 hours)
- Understand and adhere to policies regarding confidentiality.
- Demonstrate effective rapport building with groups.
- Facilitate a group discussion.
One-on-One Communication and Building Relationships (2 hours)
- Understand and adhere to policies regarding confidentiality.
- Demonstrate effective rapport building in an online setting with individuals.
- Practice active, empathetic listening.
- Practice compassion in conversations.
Academic Skills Starter Kit (2 hours)
- Apply questioning and active listening techniques.
- Explain five major strategies to foster academic success.
- Formulate personalized and suitable suggestions for students to try out.
Asynchronous sessions
Find details for each asynchronous session on the CLNx Program Tracker.

The Mentoring Relationship (30 minutes)
- Describe the scope of the mentoring relationship
Identify, Assist, Refer (30 minutes)
- Describe how to support individuals experiencing significant challenges to their mental health
Knowing Your Resources (1 hour)
- Demonstrate how to find an appropriate resource/referral to meet the needs of mentees
Building Rapport Online (1 hour)
- Understand why it is essential for mentors to work on developing skills regarding building rapport in an online setting.
Creating Group Intentions (30 minutes)
- Understand the importance of setting intentions, either in a partnership or in a group setting.
- Describe how setting intentions allows the mentor and mentee to outline and communicate expectations

Mentorship & Peer Programs Foundations Training is a CCR eligible program. Read the requirements under HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS.

Program Eligibility
How The Program Works
Check out the Mentorship Foundations Overview (PDF).

To earn CCR recognition, you must:
1. Complete and submit a pre-reflection on the CLNx Program Tracker.
2. Participate in a minimum 5.5 hours of training (including Creating an Inclusive Environment). This is recorded on the CLNx Program Tracker to measure your progress.
3. Complete and submit a post-reflection on the CLNx Program Tracker.
4. Check if there are specific segments you must complete with the coordinator of your mentorship or peer program.
Program Registration
Read Mentorship Foundations General Registration (PDF).

Register for the program:

Please log in to CLNx and go to Program Registration to register for Mentorship Foundations Training.

For instructions on how to register on CLNx, watch Using the CLNx: Register for programs:

Register for individual workshops:

For instructions on how to register on CLNx, watch Using the CLNx: Registering for events:

All sessions through fall 2022 will be held virtually on Zoom. More in-person options will be available for winter 2023.

Have questions? Connect with us at mentorship@utoronto.ca.

Boundaries in Your Peer Support Relationship
- September 16, 2022 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 12, 2022 from 1 – 3 p.m. (via Zoom)
Creating an Inclusive Environment
- August 18, 2022 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- August 25, 2022 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 7, 2022 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 22, 2022 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. (via Zoom)
- September 26, 2022 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 6, 2022 from 12 – 1:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 19, 2022 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 27, 2022 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (via Zoom)
Facilitating Groups Online
- September 19, 2022 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 4, 2022 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (via Zoom)
One-on-One Communication and Building Relationships
- September 13, 2022 from 1 – 3 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 28, 2022 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. (via Zoom)
Academic Skills Starter Kit
- September 7, 2022 from 1 – 3 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 13, 2022 from 3 – 5 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 15, 2022 from 2 – 4 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 19, 2022 from 1 – 3 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 23, 2022 from 1 – 3 p.m. (via Zoom)
- September 27, 2022 from 12 – 2 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 3, 2022 from 3 – 5 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 12, 2022 from 3 – 5 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 20, 2022 from 6 – 8 p.m. (via Zoom)
- October 28, 2022 from 10 – 12 p.m. (via Zoom)
Considerations & Exceptions
What Students Are Saying

RATE
US

9 votes

Through the training, a highlight was truly the breadth of realistic case studies covered and the variety of thoughts shared during discussion. It really allowed me to probe my thinking in more than one way and gain a broader perspective on the situations discussed.

Mentorship Foundations Training participant, 2020-2021

I learned more about how to create online spaces that make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. In these challenging times, leading and creating a space that makes people feel engaged and able to contribute meant a lot to me as a mentor. I learned about resources I used to become a better mentor, and have more meaningful relationship with my mentees.

Mentorship Foundations Training participant, 2020-2021