Program Description

The Regenerative Ag Idea Network (REGAIN) is excited to announce that it is now accepting applications for its inaugural 2022 mentee cohort! Mentorship is essential to our growth and development as leaders working in regenerative agriculture. Whether you’re working in a state agency, developing farmer education programming, or organizing around agricultural transformation in your community, we all benefit from the trusted support and guidance of a mentor.  

Modeled after the Food Systems Leadership Network’s Community Food Systems Mentorship Program, the Regenerative Ag Education & Advocacy Mentorship Program matches regenerative ag educators, advocates, and practitioners with proven and experienced leaders, creating a space for mentorship pairs to work together on topics specific to their organizational and professional development.   

The Regenerative Ag Education & Advocacy Mentorship Program is a new offering from the Regenerative Ag Idea Network, a national community of practice that connects, informs, and empowers educators, advocates, and practitioners working to advance regenerative agriculture in the United States.

Applications have closed.

Note: This program is not designed to be a farmer-to-farmer mentorship program or to provide on-farm technical assistance. There are great options for this kind of peer support, please reach out to us if you’d like more information! 

Mentors

Through this program, the Wallace Center seeks to tap into the wisdom, knowledge and expertise that seasoned leaders of the regenerative ag movement have cultivated by working in this field. These leaders are eager and prepared to mentor and coach their peers across the country, many of whom have experienced similar challenges, dynamics, losses and wins over the years.  

Timeline 

• Mentee applications will open May 2, 2022
• **Extended Deadline** Mentee applications will close May 25, 2022
• Mentee-mentor matching will take place in late May 2022
• Mentoring takes place June 13 – September 30, 2022

Application Process

Applications have closed. Send any questions to Jane Jordan, Program Associate at the Wallace Center (Jane.Jordan@winrock.org). Mentees must be verified members of the Regenerative Ag Idea Network (register for free here).

Who should apply?

Individuals working to build regenerative food and farming systems across the United States! Having a few years of experience in the field is beneficial for mentorship but not required.

Mentee Expectations & Guidance

The Mentorship Program includes eight hours of one-on-one connection between you and a mentor over a 4-month period. It’s designed to give you the flexibility to structure the program in a way that best supports your needs, goals, and work environment. 

• The program will run from June – September, 2022 
• Mentor-mentee matching is designed to be a co-selection process: in their application, prospective mentees identify who they would like to work with and why; in the application review, mentors identify who they believe they could best provide support to. 
• If you are paired with a mentor, you’ll be asked to send them background information on your work and reach out to begin scheduling calls. 
• Mentoring will take place through video calls, phone calls, and e-mail. 
• Each mentee will have approximately eight hours of one on one time with their mentor over the course of four months. 
• All mentees are required to participate in an on-boarding/kick-off call at the launch of the program. 
• Mentees are responsible for preparing for calls (list topics to discuss, prepare questions, set call goals, etc.) and following up afterwards. 
• Mentees are expected to be available during business hours and give their full attention to calls. 
• Mentorship is not exclusively technical assistance. Mentors are not expected to connect you to funders, solve technical problems, or tell you what to do.  
• There is no cost to participate in the program. Each mentor will work with two mentees, so there will be twelve mentees in the 2022 cohort.
• You may apply as a team of two, please fill out one application for your team.

Mentor Support

As a mentee, you will receive expert guidance and support in a range of topics. Examples of possible topics for discussion with mentors include: 

Organizational Leadership: Mission, vision and strategic planning, organizational strategy and priorities, non-profit management, leveraging partnerships for impact, board engagement, financial planning; 

Personal Leadership: Recognizing personal core competencies, career planning, professional development planning, building a support network, balance between community work and self-care, systems thinking approach; 

Racial Equity: Applying a racial equity lens within organizations, aligning values with funding sources, race and power dynamics in farming systems work, implementation strategies for realizing equity; 

Technical Areas: Community engagement, on-farm education program development, coalition building, food and farm business enterprise operations, value chain coordination.