YES丨Review of YES Mentors Workshop

On Feb.25 2017, the arrival of 16 volunteers at Shanghai Roots & Shoots in Huaxinhaixin Building marked the official start of the YES Mentors Workshop. Among these volunteers, some of them were familiar to our project for their participation in the past, while others were new faces that recently joined and wish to make contribution to the great cause of keeping environmental sustainability. The one-day training session enabled the volunteers to quickly master useful teaching techniques, learn the content of the courses and eventually become qualified mentors. The session set a solid foundation for the volunteers – YES mentor, to lead the children and teenagers in environmental protection activities in Youth for Environmental Sustainability program in schools.

At the start of the workshop, the staff of Shanghai Roots & Shoots YES team organized an ice-breaking game. The game created an exciting and joyful atmosphere in which the mentors got to know each other. After the game, the staff gave a detailed introduction on the history of Shanghai Roots & Shoots, its values and the programs that it is currently working on. After that, the staff led the mentors to play the game of paper tearing, which gave the volunteers a clear sense of the importance of nonverbal expression in the process of communication.

Later on, the staff conducted two sample classes, “Leaf Fossil” and “The Journey of a Drop of Water”, to show the mentors what it is like to be an excellent YES mentor. Next, the participants were divided into four teams and each of the teams conducted a demo class. The staff commented on each team’s performance, pointing out the good side of their teaching and providing advice on what needed to be improved.

Through the workshop, YES team emphasized the responsibilities of a YES mentor, and shared abundant educational resources and useful teaching methods with the mentors as well. After taking the group photo, the YES Mentor Workshop officially came to an end in a room full of laughter.