In March, we were honored to launch our inaugural Lived Voices Fellowship, a new community of people within the Lutheran Services in America or ELCA community who serve in positions of leadership and bring lived expertise. Some fellows have been refugees to the United States. Others have navigated public systems for housing, food assistance and child welfare. Through the fellowship they are healing, expanding their village and growing new skills to affect change. That is where you come in!
We are inviting you to contribute to and learn from one of our 17 amazing fellows by becoming a peer mentor. As a peer mentor, you will be matched with one of the Lived Voices fellows and engage in a powerful series of mutually beneficial conversations to advance your collective leadership.
Peer Mentor Obligation
Peer mentors will engage in three 1-hour conversations with their matched fellow in June, July and September (self-scheduled by fellow and peer mentor).
- The conversations will give both fellow and peer mentor the space to explore their respective stories, identify and build collective identity and make an actionable commitment grounded in lived experience and strategy.
- A guide will be provided for the conversations, grounded in Professor Marshall Ganz’s public narrative framework of Story of Self, Us and Now.
- While not required, peer mentors are also encouraged to attend the final fellowship session on Thursday, November 14 from 1 to 4 p.m., where fellows will make a final presentation.
Qualifications
Ideal peer mentors will meet the following qualifications:
- Embrace the Approach: Learn about the Self, Us, Now framework and be open to sharing your personal and professional journey through story, discuss the community you are building and make commitments coming out of the process.
- Able to Fulfill the Time Commitment: Be able to fulfill the time commitment of three 1-hour conversations, recognizing the importance of accountability to a fellow. Peer mentors are encouraged to attend the November 14 fellowship session.
- Bring Diverse Personal and Professional Experiences. We welcome peer mentors from diverse personal and professional backgrounds. While a minimum of 15 years of professional experience is encouraged, we also recognize the value of diverse perspectives and encourage anyone interested in becoming a peer mentor to apply.
How to Apply
To share your interest in serving as a peer mentor, please fill out the following brief application form.
Kent Mitchell is Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Lutheran Services in America.
