Join the IRE21 mentorship program

Sign up to help others or to get mentorship through the IRE21 mentorship program.

The 2021 IRE virtual conference will feature IRE’s partnership with JournalismMentors.com, where IRE members can sign up to mentor other professional journalists at various stages in their careers as well as student journalists. Any journalist seeking mentorship can visit the site to find a mentor who suits their needs and sign up for an appointment to meet the mentor virtually. 

IRE members who have volunteered as mentors are on the IRE Investigative page of JournalismMentors.com. The website also features mentors in several other areas, such as audience engagement, audio, data and marketing. Mentees are welcome to sign up for mentorship in any area, but only verified IRE members are on the IRE page and only IRE members will participate in the IRE21 mentorship program.

IRE mentors and their mentees will have a special session at the virtual IRE21 conference. The session is set for 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, June 15. There will be tips on best practices for mentors and for mentees and how to get the most out of the mentor-mentee relationship as well as information on how to use the website.

Here’s how to participate.

For mentors:

Sign up using this form by 5 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, June 7. You must be an IRE member to be listed on the IRE Investigative page of JournalismMentors.com. The site uses the Calendly app, allowing you to choose your availability and allowing mentees to sign up for the specific time slots you list. Mentors agree to abide by the IRE Code of Conduct.

After you fill out the form, IRE will verify your membership and your profile will be posted to the IRE page on JournalismMentors.com. You must sign up by June 7 to provide mentorship during the conference; however, you can sign up any time throughout the year if you aren’t able to be a mentor at the conference.

There is no minimum time requirement to be a mentor, although IRE encourages mentors to increase their availability during conference week, June 14-18, to accommodate increased demand.

When you register for IRE21, sign up for the June 15 mentorship session. Mentors also will receive a coupon code for a discounted conference rate. 

For mentees:

Visit the IRE Investigative page of JournalismMentors.com, which lists mentors who are IRE members, along with their specialties. Look for a mentor who matches your needs and availability and sign up through the site for a virtual appointment with that mentor. 

If you can’t find a mentor with availability during conference week, you can try again in the following days and weeks. More and more mentors will be signing up as the June 7 deadline approaches. 

Attendance at the conference is encouraged, though not required to participate in the mentorship program. When you register for IRE 21, sign up for the June 15 mentorship session. The early bird rate ends Monday, May 24.

If you have any questions, please send an email to conference@ire.org.