Featured Story

Helene Strawbridge's home in Melbourne, Australia, is a four-hour drive
from the remote town of a student with whom she works every week, yet
because of IBM MentorPlace, the distance can be bridged in a few moments.

       "Rural parents and teachers are delighted that
          such a program exists," says Strawbridge. By
           using the new MentorPlace tools, mentors are
           now able to communicate easily and securely,
           creating a relationship with students that only a
          couple of years ago would have been tough
         to achieve.

For students, especially in isolated regions,
MentorPlace has opened windows into the worlds
of business and high technology. But just as

important has been their enjoyment of finding a pen pal
in cyberspace. "They ask all kinds of things," says Strawbridge.
"For example, my 10-year-old mentee asked me, 'Do you have
the job you've always dreamed of?' These children are so smart
and eager to learn they can sometimes startle you."

Photo caption: Through IBM MentorPlace, Helene Strawbridge is able to offer academic guidance and other advice to students even over long distances in Australia.

Melbourne, Australia is one of the country's largest cities, yet it is surrounded by many miles of rural areas.

A four-year IBM employee, Strawbridge helped coordinate a preliminary survey of mentors that, among other things, found they hope to broaden students' views of the world, give back to the community, and get to know a student's life. A later follow-up will show whether these hopes have been realized.

Besides the survey, Strawbridge has coordinated workshops that set mentors' expectations for themselves and how they might handle scenarios, such as a lack of communications from students. This opportunity for self-reflection has equipped mentors with the ability to manage their expectations during the program.

Strawbridge herself has been so happy with MentorPlace that she developed support materials to help other mentors get started. Not surprisingly, she is particularly pleased by the extra access to MentorPlace that will be provided by the On Demand Community site.