Mentor handbook

1. Scope and safe contact

Support only learners assigned to you. The owner arranges vetting, supervision, contact rules and a safeguarding lead before youth mentoring starts. Use agreed supervised channels, involve guardians appropriately, and do not initiate private off-platform contact with minors. Do not solicit money, gifts, personal photographs or unnecessary personal information. Report concerns privately to the owner; record facts without conducting your own investigation.

2. Confidentiality

You may view assigned learners’ submitted evidence and attachments. You cannot view their private drafts. Do not copy records into public AI tools, personal cloud drives or group chats. If you download an attachment for review, protect it and remove the local copy after the agreed review purpose is complete. Report a mistaken disclosure or lost device promptly to the owner. Ending an assignment removes platform access but cannot recall files already downloaded.

3. A productive first meeting

Agree the learner’s chosen project, an achievable next task, support availability and how feedback will be delivered. Ask for a ten-minute first attempt before offering a worked solution. Use the avatars as fictional examples, never as replacements for human supervision.

4. Review evidence, not polish

Use all five dimensions in the assessment rubric. Level 3 means independent explanation and execution; level 4 includes transfer to a new situation. Check authorship through explanation and a changed constraint. All dimensions need at least 3 to record mastery. A different authorised assessor must review your own work.

Feedback template

1. Evidence I can point to: name the specific result or explanation.
2. Strength: connect it to a rubric dimension.
3. Next action: one test or revision the learner can complete.
4. Check: explain what improvement would look like.

Example: “Your table labels units and preserves missing values. Recalculate after attendance changes from 80 to 60, then explain why a lower total is not proof of better efficiency.” Avoid vague praise, comparisons with other learners and personality labels.

5. Calibration and appeals

Before a cohort, score a fictional sample independently with another mentor and discuss disagreements against the rubric. Review a sample again at the midpoint. A learner may request a second review through the owner. Explain the resulting decision and preserve the reason in the review record.

6. Certificates and corrections

Confirm the learner’s displayed name and independent explanation. Foundation awards require human mastery in all 12 missions. A technology award requires all six practice stages and a mastered final project. Issue through the ledger, print from the authorised certificate page, and explain that the award is non-accredited. Revoke incorrect records with a reason before reissuing. Never alter a printed PDF and represent it as the ledger’s current record.

7. Continuity

Agree a next step after each review. Use the learner’s revision history and 30-day practice plan. Tell the owner when you cannot continue; the owner reassigns the learner. Do not promise response times, outcomes or services that have not been arranged.