January 2021
Important Accreditation Update for Mentors
From Karen M. Meridith, Executive Director of Education for Ministry
This is critical information for all current, temporarily inactive, and prospective EfM seminar group mentors and co-mentors. I encourage you to share it with those you know who might be planning to mentor/co-mentor an EfM seminar group in the coming program year, September 2021 - June 2022.
Because of increasing and unpredictable infection rates across the United States and the uncertainty surrounding the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines to a critical mass of the population, now projected to be accomplished sometime in the third quarter of 2021, Education for Ministry will not be scheduling in-person mentor training events in Sewanee or at diocesan sites through at least September 30, 2021.
I will be monitoring the changing conditions and will adjust this policy as needed to maintain safety for our trainers and trainees. Please watch for upcoming bulletins.
Important Note: If you do pass this message along, please use "Share this email" at the bottom left of the page (the envelope symbol in a circle), not your email program's forward function, in order to preserve your own contact information in our database.
- The 2020 Extension of Mentor Accreditation Ends June 30, 2021
Beginning in March 2020, and beyond as the uncertainty about when we would be able to resume face to face mentor training continued, I instituted a grace period for extension of mentor accreditation. In that grace period those who were already actively mentoring in 2019-2020 could register their groups for the 2020-2021 program year without attending training for re-accreditation. Only inactive mentors desiring to return or new mentors were required to attend training, although current mentors were encouraged to attend one of the Zoom-based training events we began offering in May 2020.
Many mentors have held off training because they hoped in-person training would be reactivated in time for them to attend before registering a group for the 2021-2022 program year. Given the current course of the Covid-19 pandemic it is apparent that this will not be an option. At the moment it cannot be predicted just when face-to-face training will be safe. At this time the Zoom-based training offered by accredited EfM Trainers is the only mentor training we will be offering through at least Septermber 30, 2021.
This is your official notice that the accreditation grace period ends on June 30, 2021. Mentors who wish to register a group in the 2021-2022 program year (all groups that start in Fall 2021 and Winter 2022) must be currently accredited at the time of registration.
- Opportunities for Mentor Training Before Fall 2021
EfM is currently offering both basic and advanced training using Zoom in a variety of meeting schedules, including weekends and weekdays, some condensed into a few days and others spread out one meeting at a time over several weeks, in order to meet the varied needs of mentors. You can use our calendar of training events on the EfM website to find a training that works best for you. Click on the event name to see a description and on the link in the description to register. You might also want to contact your EfM Diocesan Coordinator to see if a special Zoom-based training event has been scheduled specifically for mentors in your diocese.
When registering please pay attention to the distinctions between the basic Foundations of Seminar Life and the more advanced Formation trainings (which have prerequisites). Note too the difference between Zoom-based training for mentoring face-to-face groups temporarily meeting in Zoom and the Virtual Foundations Training for Mentoring Online, a second training required for mentoring a group meeting online permanently. Information about the requirements for different training levels is on the EfM website.
The grace period is considered a simple suspension, so you may register for training at the level assigned on your last accreditation report. Currently active mentors who were recommended for Formation level trainings may do so. If you have any questions about whether you meet requirements for advanced training (Formation), please email your question to efm@sewanee.edu.
A number of Zoom-based trainings are already scheduled through the next few months. As these fill we will add more. Since we cannot hope to provide in Zoom as many trainings as we can in person with the use of multiple diocesan sites in addition to local Sewanee training, and since the Zoom-based training events tend to fill quickly, I encourage you to find a training now that meets your availability and register. Waiting until the last minute before Fall registration is not advised and may well result in delaying the start of your group's meetings next year.
- No Exceptions for Further Extension of Accreditation
Because the accreditation grace period will already have been extended for a year, I will not be granting further extension of accreditation for the coming program year. It is imperative that you be properly accredited when the 2021-2022 registration begins. Please do not ask for an exception since it will be painful for both of us when that exception is denied. Plan now to be properly accredited well before the next program year meetings for your group are set to begin.
Again, when passing this message along, please use "Share this email" on the left below (the envelope symbol in a circle), not your email program's forward function. Using your email program to forward will result in a message to our mail service to replace your email address with the one to which you are forwarding.
