Brew More. Do More - an insight into the APComm mentoring scheme 

By Helen Wilson, APComm Vice Chair

There’s a date for everything isn’t there? Well, as we enter April feeling spring like and hopeful (it is also the month where it is acceptable to eat a Cadbury’s Cream Egg everyday – other brands are available) it is also the month where we mark National Tea Day (Thursday, April 21)! Yes, it is an official day! Established in 2016, it was created on Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday to enjoy the classic beverage and its slogan is Brew More, Do More.

Now my link is tenuous, so bear with…. but I have been reflecting on our recent Virtual Academy earlier in March, where a number of us dialed in to hear from our colleagues from Devon & Cornwall up to Scotland (APComm's equivalent of going from Land’s End to John O’Groats) and we shared learning and best practice that will benefit our organisations and communities in the months and years to come and I bet a lot of us did this with a cuppa in hand.

The significance of the humble brew is that it is sometimes a way to get us to pause and re-charge so that we can come back ready to do more. So, whilst I have your attention, I wanted to share something else that you can do with cuppa in hand – you could become an APComm mentor or seek out a mentor for your own personal development.

Our mentoring scheme is available to every single Association member in policing comms, made possible due to the willing and talented mentors who volunteer to support comms colleagues across the country.

We have over 20 mentors of different levels in policing comms, representing a broad range of Corporate Communication functions and skills. Every six weeks all new and outstanding mentee requests are reviewed and if we have a suitable mentor match, we connect people. Some matches take a while as every effort is made to fulfil the needs of the mentee, and we also ensure that there are no existing connections between the mentor and mentee to allow for open and safe conversations.

Currently we have more mentees than mentors, so we are keen to hear from anyone who feels they have something to offer a fellow police communicator. You do not have to be a manager or in policing for a longtime, some mentors bring experience from other sectors which is of value.

If you are interested in becoming an APComm mentor or feel that you could benefit from some mentoring and want to learn more please do email me helen.wilson@surrey.pnn.police.uk

So, take time for yourself – grab a brew…and if our mentoring scheme can help you ‘do more’ to develop yourself or others, get in touch.