Mentoring Scheme: The Launch 2013

The launch of our new Mentoring Scheme took place last night (19 February). The event was hosted by Jones Lang LaSalle in London and brought together mentors and mentees for the first time. For those of you who still haven't heard of the Mentoring Scheme take a look here.

Back to the launch. The event was introduced by Andrew Hynard, UK Deputy Chairman at Jones Lang LaSalle and graduate of Oxford Brookes (BSc Estate Management). He was followed by Gina Dalton (Principal Lecturer in the Department) who talked about the Mentoring Scheme and the role of Mentor. The most important attribute of a Mentor? To be an active listener.  

Andrew Hynard and Gina Dalton introduce the Mentoring Scheme to the mentors

Meanwhile, down the corridor, a group of slightly nervous students was gathering.

Introductions over, it was time for the students to meet their mentors and become 'mentees'. Noise levels in the room increased substantially as mentors and mentees got to know each other. Photos by the Ed (yep, I was allowed out. In London. After dark).

The highlight (?!) of the evening was the Marshmallow Challenge. A fun exercise to get mentors and mentees working together. The challenge requires teams to build the tallest structure possible using only spaghetti, string and tape. And it has to take the weight of a marshmallow.

The winning team make a confident start (left to right: David Hassard, Robert Orr, Adam Pleeth and Amandeep Bansal)

Intricate work with string and spaghetti

Sticking it to the tablecloth...surely that's not allowed? 

OK, so what now?

Concentration

That looks a lot like a marshmallow on the end of a piece of spaghetti

Tense moments as Nick French measures the structures

David Hassard (on the winning team) cannot believe his luck. His prize? A pink Oxford Brookes bag. 

The winning structure by Robert Orr, Adam Pleeth, David Hassard and Amandeep Bansal, all 15.5 inches of it.

A fabulous evening and a great launch. But now the real work starts. For more information about the Mentoring Scheme take a look at our website.