Following an initiative by the Rotary Club of Central Melbourne 10 years ago, Victoria Police, Rotary and the Victorian business community established a successful partnership to deliver a mentoring program for police members who are considered high performing leaders within their field. All Victorian Rotary Districts participate in this program.
The Leaders’ Mentoring Program brings diverse perspectives and experiences from outside Victoria Police to benefit the capability of participants. It is delivered in two streams. Senior business executives are assigned as mentors to Superintendents and above (Stream 1), whilst experienced Rotarians are assigned as mentors to Senior Sergeants (Stream 2).It is because of Rotary’s commitment to community service that it is invited to provide mentors to Stream 2 mentees.
Entry to the Stream 2 program is very selective with just 15 participants in this year’s intake, drawn from over 780 Senior Sergeants state wide. Our club was approached recently to nominate a mentor for the 2018-19 program, and I was honoured to accept the role.
Through the Stream 2 mentoring program Victoria Police seeks to develop the understanding and capability of mentees in:
- Developing leadership skills in a community service setting
- Building community partnerships, managing stakeholder relationships and building networks
- Community organisational approaches to addressing issues and needs
- Applying business management approaches to community service planning and delivery
During the program, mentees are also expected to take the lead in identifying and developing a community engagement initiative which is a good fit with Victoria Police community engagement philosophy in support of Social Cohesion and Resilience. Depending on the scope of the initiative, this may involve Rotary in some way.
I attended the launch of the 2018-19 program at the Police Academy Glen Waverley last week where I met my mentee. He resides in Eltham North and he is very keen to gain a hands-on understanding of Eltham Rotary in action throughout this year. I look forward to introducing him to you at some club meetings and service opportunities in the near future.
