Water Boards Mentors Community
The Water Boards Openscapes Mentor Community connects and supports Water Boards staff within the Openscapes Community to promote a kinder, data-driven culture through the adoption of open science tools and strategies. Together we develop leadership and coaching skills to help mentors become better local leaders and to support their open science and Openscapes goals.
Mentor Framework
The mentor framework and community at the Water Boards is modeled after the Openscapes Mentors Framework, and lessons learned from Openscapes mentor communities at NOAA Fisheries and NASA. An overview of how Openscapes built the Mentors Framework with NASA Earthdata staff across a dozen data centers is detailed in our preprint: The Openscapes Flywheel: A framework for managers to facilitate and scale inclusive Open science practices (Robinson & Lowndes 2022).
Anyone across all Water Boards Regions, Divisions, or Offices, and job classifications can become an Openscapes Mentor and participate in the Mentor Community at the Water Boards as a Community Mentor (main participation Jan - May), and/or as a Cohort Mentor (main participation Jun - Dec).
Expectations
No preparation or skill set is required to be an Openscapes Mentor at the Water Boards - we’ll onboard folks and teach them everything they need to know.
The time commitment expectations associated with each of mentor roles (i.e., Community vs. Cohort mentor) varies and is described in more detail on the Am I ready to be an Openscapes Mentor? page.
Activities
The opportunity to participate as an Openscapes Mentor at the Water Boards is open year round, and includes a cycle of activities:
Jan - May: Activities are focused on the needs of the mentor community and preparing for Champions Cohorts later in the year. Specific activities include:
Attending mentor co-working sessions: these sessions are opportunities for networking across the organization and provides dedicated time for mentors to make steady progress on their Openscapes and/or open science goals and to support their learning journey.
Promotion of Champions Cohorts: mentors are also able to support the design, advertising, and preparation for Champions Cohorts later in the year. This could include spearheading communication with with their local leadership, acting as a point-person for interested local colleagues, helping to identify local needs, and supporting or leading communication and educational resources for their local colleagues.
Engage with the wider Openscapes and open science community: mentors can use this time to network and engage with the Openscapes community outside of the Water Boards, depending on their interests. For example, joining and participating in the broader Openscapes Slack and/or attending Openscapes Events.
Jun - Dec: Activities are focused on delivering Champions Cohorts at the Water Boards. During this time, mentors do not meet as a group and instead invest time into delivering Champions Cohorts at the Water Boards. Those mentors that want to participate in the Champions cohorts will do so while others will work on their goals independently. Mentors from past Champions Cohorts are listed on their respective Cohort Pages.
How to engage with the Mentor Community
Community Mentors: If you have engaged in the Openscapes Community at the Water Boards by particiating in a past Openscapes Champions Cohort as an individual or team member, or as a Cohort Mentor, you can continue to participate in Openscapes as a Community Mentor!
Keep an eye out and attend a future Openscapes at the Water Boards Community Call or opt-in to some Mentor Co-working sessions to see how you would like to give back to the Openscapes at the Water Boards Community.
Cohort Mentors: If you have not yet engaged in the Openscapes Community at the Water Boards, this is your ticket in! Participate in a future Openscapes Champions cohort as a Champions Cohort Mentor.
Keep an eye out for outreach emails or presentations about upcoming Openscapes Champions Cohort opportunities. Once you have found a Champions Cohort that works with your availability, apply to be a Cohort Mentor using the processes outlined in the outreach emails or on the Openscapes at the Water Boards Website.
Benefits of being a Mentor
By participating as an Openscapes Mentor at the Water Boards, individuals will have opportunities to develop their technical, social, and leadership skills, and broaden their networks within and outside of the Water Boards.
Mentor Activities and corresponding areas or opportunities for skill-building can include, but are not limited to:
| Activity | Areas / Opportunities for Skill Building |
|---|---|
| Mentor co-working sessions | Time management Communication of goals, challenges, success Technical / open science methods, techniques & solutions Identification of common needs and priorities Teaching / knowledge-sharing Active / deep listening Collaboration Networking with the Mentor Community at the Water Boards Relationship Building |
| Promotion of Champions Cohorts or other Openscapes Activities | Communication with various audiences in oral and/or written/visual formats Public speaking Meeting presentations / outreach Teaching / knowledge-sharing Networking with other staff at the Water Boards |
| Engage with the wider Openscapes and open science community | Networking with the broader Openscapes Community, including individuals at other government agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions. Relationship building |
| Mentor Calls to Prepare for Champions Cohorts | Meeting facilitation planning and preparation Communication of questions, concerns, asking for help Technical / open science methods, techniques & solutions Teaching / knowledge-sharing Active / deep listening Asking powerful questions Collaboration Networking with the Mentor Community at the Water Boards |
| Supporting Champions Cohort Logistics | Meeting facilitation implementation Use of meeting tools (i.e. MS Teams or Zoom, breakout rooms, chat management, polls/surveys) Cohort documentation and resources management Active / deep listening Development of meeting, agendas, documentation & summaries Networking with Water Boards staff new to Openscapes at the Water Boards |
| Champions Cohort Instructor | Meeting facilitation preparation & implementation Presentation slides development for select audience Presentation of pre-made slides while making them your own Public speaking Teaching / knowledge-sharing Presenting / discussing technical information in plain language Giving and receiving helpful feedback Asking and answering powerful and technical questions Networking with Water Boards staff new to Openscapes at the Water Boards |
| Community Call Presenter / Instructor | Presentation slides development for select audience Public speaking Teaching / knowledge-sharing Presenting / discussing technical information in plain language Giving and receiving helpful feedback Asking and answering powerful and technical questions Networking with members within and beyond the Openscapes at the Water Boards Community |