Facebook Launches New Mentoring Tool

More than 200 million people on Facebook are members of groups they consider meaningful. They use groups to build and foster supportive communities around topics that matter to them. Today, Facebook is bringing its Mentorship tool to groups to make it easier for people who want help achieving their goals to connect with others who can help.

Now, people in groups focused on parenting, professional and personal development can use Mentorship to get one-on-one support through a guided program. The company said in a statement today that, “People have already used Mentorship to get the help and support they need. For example, two mothers in Mama Dragons, a group to empower and support mothers with LGBTQIA children, are helping each other navigate the journey of raising a transgender child. Two fathers in Expectant and New Dads are getting advice about challenges they’re facing.

In the personal and professional development space, a 19-year-old aspiring pilot in Aviation Career Mentorship is learning from a Delta Air Lines pilot, and a woman in Soap-making and Business Coaching is getting help from her mentor about how to turn her hobby to a business.”

Here’s how it works:

1. Group admins create a mentorship program. Admins can choose a template from a variety of programs, such as career advancement, skill development, or encouragement and support — whichever best fits their community’s needs.
2. People sign up and are matched with their mentor/mentee: Group members can sign up to be a mentor or mentee, then the group admin will pair people together.
3. Pairs are introduced. Pairs can get to know each other and work through program steps in their one-on-one mentorship program on Facebook. They can share and comment on posts there or communicate through Messenger.
4. Mentors and mentees get step-by-step guidance. The pairs progress through a guided program that encourages them to check in with each other weekly.

Facebook’s goal is to build tools that help people get the support they need, and with Mentorship, Facebook hopes to make it easier for people to build relationships that help them reach their goals.