Volunteer Mentors Needed!!

[Dawn]

BBO teams up with

The Fifth Chair Foundation

to offer mentoring program!

 

What is The Fifth Chair Foundation?:

Fifth Chair is a non-for-profit organization that fosters online bridge education. Please visit our website at http://www.fifthchair.org for additional information and lots of useful tools for learners!

 

What is the Fifth Chair's Mentoring Program?

Fifth Chair's Mentoring Program matches volunteer advanced players with learners who are eager for help to improve their game.

 

What is a Program Manager?

A Fifth Chair Program Manager is a dedicated volunteer with the time, skills and energy to devote to organizing a specific program on an online bridge playing service. At this time Fifth Chair is seeking a one or two Program Managers to start a Mentoring Program on BBO. A Fifth Chair board member, Dawn Charles (Dawn on BBO) has been assigned to act as liaison with the managers and help them get the program up-and-running. Patience, tact and good organizational skills are key characteristics of a successful Program Manager. These are long-term positions and record-keeping is important.

 

If you are interested in being a volunteer Mentoring Program Manager, please e-mail BBO@fifthchair.org with the following information (put "Program Manager-Your BBO ID" in the subject line):

 

1.      Full name

 

2.      Organizational skills:

 

3.      Average time you could allot weekly to the program:

 

4.      Why do you want to do this?:

 

5.      Your BBO ID:

 

What is a Mentor?

Mentors are advanced players willing to donate their time back to the game they love to help bring a new generation into the game of bridge. Mentors agree to play at least one one-hour learning session with their adopted learner per week (an average); answer questions via e-mail; and generally support their learner's bridge education process. Experience, patience, interest and humor are important characteristics of the successful mentor. When mentors receive their assigned learner, they will also get a list of suggestions and guidelines about mentoring. Fifth Chair places beginners, novices and Intermediate- players with mentors.

 

A mentor waiting list is presently being compiled. If you would like to apply to be a mentor, please e-mail the following information to BBO@fifthchair.org (put "MENTOR-Your BBO ID" in the subject line):

 

1.      Your Time Zone:

 

2.      Systems with which you are comfortable:

 

3.      Your level of play:

 

4.      Comments about preferences:

 

5.      Your BBO ID:

 

6.      Your Name:

 

What is a Novice?

For the purposes of this program, a novice is a beginning, novice or intermediate- level player who is interested in improving their game by working with a more advanced player. (See description of Mentor.)  Participating novices agree to be prompt for scheduled sessions and respectful of their Mentor's time; do any assigned homework; and, keep their sense of humor intact!

 

A novice waiting list is presently being compiled. If you would like to apply for a mentor, please e-mail the following information to BBO@fifthchair.org (put "NOVICE-Your BBO ID" in the subject line):

 

1.      Your Time Zone:

 

2.      System you want to learn:

 

3.      Current level of play:

 

4.      Comments about preferences:

 

5.      Your BBO ID:

 

6.      Your Name:

 

NOTE: Fifth Chair does not give out participants' names or e-mail addresses to any individual or organization. Neither Fifth Chair nor BBO assumes any liability from this voluntary program and encourages all participants to use caution in giving out personal information on the Internet.

 

(skrshawk: edited per Dawn's request)

[fred]

I just wanted to mention that the Fifth Chair Foundation is made of good people and, in my view, the work that they do is very important to the future of bridge.

 

People often ask me why BBO is free and one of the main reasons is that I want to give something back to a game that done so much for me. I suspect a lot of advanced players feel the same way about bridge and getting involved in the Fifth Chair is one way that they can make a difference.

 

Thanks for Dawn for taking the initiative to get this program started. I really hope that the membership will support her efforts.

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[keylime]

I wholeheartedly echo Fred's comments - this program will serve in a small way to preserve, maintain, and grow bridge players around the world. Players that have the acumen and desire to help others should be strongly encouraged to give something back to the up and comers. 60 percent of the ACBL population is non Life Master...that's a huge potential segment of growth, if we simply offer solid instruction and hope.

 

There come times in a club where something of noble intent is offered and its opportunity begs to be seized. This is one of those times. I've volunteered - will you?

[Trpltrbl]

I think it is a great idea. I signed up too. Am mostly interested in the younger generation. Since they don't seem to get a lot of help from other places. :-

[mycroft]

This is a wonderful program. I have had a group (introduced to me by Dawn) - er - somewhere else - for a few years now. I had to give it up for a couple of months (new job, took time to get a schedule I knew a week in advance) and missed it terribly. We're back, and I look forward to the game every week.

 

As I said in the thread in the main room about the expert/novice tournament - I'm young (mid 30's, but for bridge that's young). I like challenging bridge - and hope to have such a game in 5, 10, 25 years. The people who take the trouble to ask for a mentor are the people who will work at the game, and learn. No matter how old they are, *they* are the future of bridge.

 

One of my "group" plays with me on occasion outside the 5th chair sessions - often against very good pairs. We get beat a lot, but there is no "protect me from the (experts/weird systems)" from her - the only thing she worries about is "are you sure you don't want to find a better partner?" (the answer is definately not - I'd much rather play with someone pleasant, playing the best bridge she can, than Mr. Multiple ???-Marks!) And when she does everything right against the experts - and she often does - I can just feel the satisfaction of the +6 or 80%.

 

One more thing. I have played frequently with/against about 10 of the 5th chair mentees. I have *never* had a complaint about their behaviour at the table, and would willingly play a session with any of them at any time if they asked. Not too many groups of bridge players are out there that have that kind of rating.

 

Michael.

--

"Multiple exclamation points are a sure sign of a diseased mind." - Rincewind

[Chamaco]

"Multiple exclamation points are a sure sign of a diseased mind." - Rincewind

LOLLL this is a peculiar signature for a thread named "Volunteer Mentors Needed!!"

;)

[xx1943]

Hi

 

I filled in all these questions and submitted to fifth chair and got no response. ;)

I don't even know, if they got my mail. :P

 

Al

[inquiry]

Hi

 

I filled in all these questions and submitted to fifth chair and got no response. ;)

I don't even know, if they got my mail. :P

 

Al

Hi Al,

 

When did you submit your answers? Do you know DAWN, she is the contact from BBO members and 5th chair. Any problems you are having with 5th chair can be addressed through her.. she is a real live person, (and very nice one too) who will chat with you in real time and should be able to help trouble shoot any problems you are having.

 

Ben

[xx1943]

When did you submit your answers?

Hi Ben

 

I mailed to 'BBO@fifthchair.org' Friday 05/14/04 11:32 am CET.

 

I'll mail a second time and also contact Dawn in BBO.

 

Thanks for the hint.

 

Al

[EarlPurple]

I would be happy to mentor a pair of players.

I am European based and cannot be online usually in the "early hours". For some reason that seems to be a problem with 5th chair.

[1eyedjack]

I think it is a bit of a shame that 5th chair require details of personal identity in order to register as a mentor. Personally I prefer to protect my identity with care. There are some trusted individuals to whom I choose to divulge my identity, but I prefer to have control over that process.

 

Some of the horror stories available from anonymizer.com and similar sources arising from a cavalier attitude to privacy of data are quite frightening. At 5th Chair you are expected to surrender that privacy, which can never subsequently be recovered (without entirely changing your on-line identity) to individuals with whom you have had no prior contact.

 

If there is some positive reason why the identity of the mentor might be essential in this case then I can understand the requirement. I would then have to choose between what I value greater: my privacy or my desire to assist the cause of bridge development. But I cannot see any positive reason why it might be required. Indeed, even if there are benefits to disclosure, I still see nothing wrong with permitting registration on an anonymous basis. The mentee would be aware of the anonymous identity of the mentor and if that were an issue to the mentee he could steer clear of that contact. As such the issue would be driven by market forces, but there is no reason (that I can determine) for the organisers of 5th chair to make that decision on behalf of the mentee.

 

The worst case scenario (that I can conceive) arising from maintaining privacy of data is that a mentor-mentee relationship may be set up on the basis of misrepresented abilities. If that is the case it will come to light after a relatively short time, and very little damage is done. Furthermore, unless I were a well known player I doubt that knowledge of my personal ID would help prevent such an outcome. Added to this, it would be trivial for a mentor to register a false personal ID, and if it is impossible to police or enforce there seems little point in the stipulation.

 

I would like to give back something to the game, and if anyone feels like messaging me for some free tuition (and you can judge the quality of that for yourself after a few sessions) I am happy to oblige. But I think I will give 5th chair a bypass for now. Even so I wish 5th chair every success, as I do with any organisation that furthers bridge.

[jdulmage]

I think it is a bit of a shame that 5th chair require details of personal identity in order to register as a mentor. Personally I prefer to protect my identity with care. There are some trusted individuals to whom I choose to divulge my identity, but I prefer to have control over that process.

 

Some of the horror stories available from anonymizer.com and similar sources arising from a cavalier attitude to privacy of data are quite frightening. At 5th Chair you are expected to surrender that privacy, which can never subsequently be recovered (without entirely changing your on-line identity) to individuals with whom you have had no prior contact.

 

If there is some positive reason why the identity of the mentor might be essential in this case then I can understand the requirement. I would then have to choose between what I value greater: my privacy or my desire to assist the cause of bridge development. But I cannot see any positive reason why it might be required. Indeed, even if there are benefits to disclosure, I still see nothing wrong with permitting registration on an anonymous basis. The mentee would be aware of the anonymous identity of the mentor and if that were an issue to the mentee he could steer clear of that contact. As such the issue would be driven by market forces, but there is no reason (that I can determine) for the organisers of 5th chair to make that decision on behalf of the mentee.

 

The worst case scenario (that I can conceive) arising from maintaining privacy of data is that a mentor-mentee relationship may be set up on the basis of misrepresented abilities. If that is the case it will come to light after a relatively short time, and very little damage is done. Furthermore, unless I were a well known player I doubt that knowledge of my personal ID would help prevent such an outcome. Added to this, it would be trivial for a mentor to register a false personal ID, and if it is impossible to police or enforce there seems little point in the stipulation.

 

I would like to give back something to the game, and if anyone feels like messaging me for some free tuition (and you can judge the quality of that for yourself after a few sessions) I am happy to oblige. But I think I will give 5th chair a bypass for now. Even so I wish 5th chair every success, as I do with any organisation that furthers bridge.

What's sad is that you are THAT paranoid about revealing it.

 

This game is meant to be friendly. If you knew that, you wouldn't have posted this rant.

[1eyedjack]

What's sad is that you are THAT paranoid about revealing it.

 

This game is meant to be friendly. If you knew that, you wouldn't have posted this rant.

Spare us the hyperbole.

 

I am less concerned about revealing my identity (and to selected online friends I do so, at my choice but at no-one's insistence) than I am irritated at being required to do so without reason. I have no shortage of friendly games using my online persona and there are no shortage of partners and opponents who are quite content and friendly to deal with me on that basis, most of whose private identities remain unknown to me but at no detraction from the friendliness of the game and which causes me no more concern than my own identity appears to be of concern to them. Nor do I regard myself as the exception, but rather it seems to be, if anything, the norm. If others regard offline identification as important then they are free to avoid me and I levy no criticism at them for doing so. The world is large enough to accommodate both. BBO takes the (in my view) laudable policy not to require personal identification, for very good reason. No-one on BBO is compelled to conceal their offline identity but the vast majority choose to do so. Are your opinions directed also at BBO management or do you choose to apply some petty distinction to me?

 

Mind you, if I am paranoid that fact does not of itself invalidate the criticism that I levy at 5th chair, which can be addressed on its own merits.

 

In one respect I agree with you ... it probably is a sad state of affairs that free distribution over the internet of your offline identity carries with it some significant and well documented risks, but I take no responsibility for that nor do I feel the least inclination to apologise for taking note of those warnings.

 

Is jdulmage your real name? I couldn't find any more detail in your profile. Perhaps it is a case of double standards?

[Guest Jlall]

Woah haven't seen this post in a while.