Author Topic: Mentorship / scholarship programs  (Read 2192 times)

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Offline Zweefer

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Mentorship / scholarship programs
« on: April 21, 2022, 10:20:53 am »
I saw that Bakers has a scholarship program with her association, and I also have a similar program going on with our association.
After a trial year with two participants, this year ramped up a bit for us with five new youth.
I thought I'd start a thread to discuss these - or other programs that are out there.

Our program requires the youth (age 12-18) to fill out an application indicating why they would make a good candidate, as well as their information.  We offer a choice of keeping the bees at a community apiary our association maintains, or they may choose an outyard.

Accepted applicants are required to attend a beekeeping class. We put on a series here they may attend free of charge, or if they can not make that, an approved alternative must be completed. 

Our mentors have undergone a background check, and are paired based on location of hives.

As well as education and guidance, we provide all woodenware, tools (except PPE) and genetics for two years.  If bees die during winter, we will replace them.
At the end of the two years, if the youth wish to keep going, we present them with a certificate of ownership, and everything becomes theirs.

Honey and wax are the youth's to do with as they please.  woodenware remains property of the association until the end of the second year.

all is paid for by local business donations.  for their sponsorship, their logo is posted both on our website, and on a decorative langstroth hive that we keep at the site and bring with to display events.
here is the best photo i have at the moment - you can see the hive on the right side...


 Here is the agreement we use.


I'm interested to see what others do.
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
Henry David Thoreau
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Mentorship / scholarship programs
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2022, 06:39:41 pm »
Wow thats awesome!
Drinking RUM before noon makes you a PIRATE not an alcoholic!

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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Mentorship / scholarship programs
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2022, 12:00:29 pm »
I saw that Bakers has a scholarship program with her association, and I also have a similar program going on with our association.

I'm interested to see what others do.

We are very similar with some fine tuning that has developed over the years.

Applicants are limited to age 11-15.  There were concerns about 17-18 year old students going off to college, busy with other activities, and so forth.  There cannot be another immediate family member already in beekeeping.
Applicants and a parent are interviewed by a committee.  Sometimes we find the parent is more interested than the child.  When a mentor visits the hive, a parent must be present.  CYA
The wooden ware consists of 2 brood boxes, bottom board, inner and outer lids, queen excluder, 2 supers and all the frames and foundation necessary for the equipment.  Also included is bee suit, gloves, hive tool, smoker, smoker fuel, hive top feeder, and bee brush.  Mentors are chosen based upon skill level and proximity to the student.  If something happens to the queen the club sees that the student receives another.
In the first 2 years, if the mentor decides that the student is not following up with the project, the club has the right to remove the equipment.
Each student has to attend our beginning beekeeping class, our big Funday in June, at least 8 club meetings, keep notes and pictures, and at the end of the first year, do a presentation to the club about their experience.  They also do 2 service projects during that first year and submit an entry to the state of county fair.

The last couple of years, the chairperson arranged for all scholarship students, a parent, and the mentor to get all together in a group and assemble equipment.  The student takes home a finished hive that they paint.  It's an opportunity for all to meet and then we know frames are assembled correctly.

I am very lucky.  My student's mother teaches entomology at a nearby college.  One of our monthly meetings was about studying pollen under the microscope and that peaked her interest.

Offline Zweefer

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Re: Mentorship / scholarship programs
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2022, 06:24:21 pm »
I love the idea of meeting and assembling equipment, as I got stuck with that task this year. anything to help promote teamwork can only be a positive.  :high5:
Keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams.
Henry David Thoreau