Mentoring at The Multiverse School

Want to mentor, teach, or help someone at The Multiverse School? Read these Rules and Guidelines.

Guidelines

The Rules

1. Do not sleep with someone you're mentoring. Its an inappropriate power dynamic. No, you cannot conscientious-intentional-mindset-communication-and-discussion-around-boundaries around this. If it happens we're kicking you out, the end. This is not a good way to find a date. You can seek a non-hierarchical relationship with someone you like, if they're interested, but don't use connections, money, or knowledge to get someone to sleep with you. If you're significantly more resourced than they are and you still feel it's an appropriate relationship, you are not a values-match at The Multiverse School and will be asked to leave. a. You have to notify us immediately if the advance comes from the other party or we're going to assume it's coming from you because you're the one assuming the role of power, and it's your responsibility to ensure it doesn't happen. b. If you both don't agree on who was the first advancer, you both just don't get to participate in the mentorship program anymore.
2. Be encouraging and don't dissuade people from learning something - your mentees might not have the same interests as you, or you might not know anyone who uses the language or technology they're learning, but coordinate with Liz before you tell them something is a bad idea to learn. Most technical stuff has incredible cross-transference of skills, so basically nothing is wasted. Don't tell someone the tech skill they want to learn is useless, but you are welcome to bring up statistics that you can back up with a source, like The Stack Overflow Developer Survey. If you don't like a technology, be aware that your distaste may alter the trajectory of someone's career. Have more than one reason for what you are saying.
3. Do not coach on the following topics without a discussion with Liz about what methodology and effects you're going for unless you are a licensed counselor:
   • Privilege and power structures
   • Trauma, PTSD
   • Race-related problems for a person whose specific and exact and not generally similar racial experiences you do not share, don't exempt yourself in here because you feel like you're woke unless you are specifically asked your personal opinion
   • If someone approaches you to give coaching, then requests help for the above things, especially if they ask for help with them before getting help with what you have represented you are giving help with, or are asking for this kind of coaching very early in your mentorship relationship, alert a staff member immediately that this has occurred.
4. Do Not Give Medical Advice Unless You Are A Licensed Clinician. I have found cause to have to say this, so yes, do not give medical advice. If you talk about your health stuff, please give this disclaimer: "I'm talking from a place of my own experience about my own body and everyone's body is different. I'm not licensed to practice medicine. Given that I am an authority figure you might be primed to take my advice more seriously than you might otherwise have."