CheMento, the GDCh's mentoring programme, was launched as a pilot project in January 2014 and has since been carried out every two years with 30 tandems.

CheMento is designed as one-to-one mentoring. This means that one mentor looks after one mentee.

CheMento pursues the following goal

• To sustainably promote young talent in chemistry
• To increase career opportunities in science, economy and society
• to prepare young professionals for the demands of professional life in a practical way
• to facilitate transitions and career entry
• to make successful career paths in chemistry visible
• to promote the compatibility of family and career and
• to build sustainable career networks

The mentoring cooperation is designed to last 12 months and is accompanied by a framework programme. The mentee and mentor will be prepared for their respective roles and supported in the mentoring process. There will also be opportunities for networking and intensive dialogue with the other participants.

• A kick-off event at the beginning of the mentoring year in January/February (location varies).

• An end event in which the joint year is recapitulated in a festive setting (location varies).

The basis for a successful mentoring relationship is a partnership of equals characterised by mutual appreciation and a positive attitude - despite differences in age and experience.

Further prerequisites are:

• Mentee and mentor take part in the programme voluntarily
• There is no direct relationship of dependency between mentee and mentor
• The mentoring relationship lasts for a defined period (in this case 12 months), but can be continued beyond this by individual agreement
• A binding, reliable approach to appointments and agreements is essential
• The discussions take place in a protected environment and are strictly confidential
• At the beginning of the cooperation, the mentee and mentor should clarify concrete expectations, desired goals, establishing contact, forms of communication, feedback, etc. with each other
• The mentor and mentee should also agree on a personal dialogue.
• At least 3-5 face-to-face meetings should take place per year; these can be supplemented by emails, (Skype) phone calls, etc.

The selection and composition of the tandems is carried out by an advisory board appointed by the GDCh consisting of representatives from various GDCh structures.

The composition of the tandems (matching) is carried out on the basis of the registration profiles.

Important criteria for this are

• the technical and professional orientation
• the personal development and
• the geographical distance

The personal interests and experiences of the participants also play an important role. Because if the "chemistry is right", the benefits of the mentoring relationship are particularly great.

Further information here

Further information here