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MARSH MENTORSHIP ASSISTED RESOURCE & SUPPORT HUB
 A Joint Initiative Offered By 
  

                                                              NAWM   SWS SWSPCP                                 



MentorshipMentee applications are now closed.

In recognition of the growing gap between the demand for wetland professionals and the supply of candidates trained to begin working in wetlands, NAWM joined forces with the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) and the SWS Professional Certification Program (SWSPCP) to develop a mentorship initiative called the Mentorship Assisted Resource & Support Hub (MARSH). Now entering its third year, MARSH is a one-year mentoring program that has helped dozens of students, early career professionals, and people transitioning between careers to network, gain experience, and receive one-on-one coaching to support their growth as wetland professionals. 

Important Dates: 

    • Mentee Applications are now closed.
    • Mentor Applications are now closed.
    • Start program in January 2025.

If you have any questions, please contact Ian Grosfelt, NAWM at ian@nawm.org

Webinars

An informational webinar, MARSH is Coming! Learn More about the new Mentorship Assisted Resource & Support Hub, was held on July 21, 2022.

MARSH Webinar 1: Mentorship Introductory Webinar was held on February 21, 2023

MARSH Webinar 2: Communication and Branding was held on April 19, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

MARSH Program Overview
 
What is MARSH?
MARSH (Mentorship Assisted Resource & Support Hub) is a one-year mentoring program for students, early career professionals, and people transitioning between careers to network, gain experience, and receive one-on-one coaching to support their growth as wetland professionals.
 
The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) and the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) are working together to continue the development and implementation of this new mentoring program. Feedback from previous cycles of the program, begun in 2023, will be used to inform future development. 
 
What are the goals of MARSH?
SWS and NAWM have designed MARSH with the following goals:
  • Demystify hiring practices and processes
  • Increase diversity in the wetland workforce
  • Provide opportunities for wetland-specific skills training to meet individual students’ needs, outside of the constraints of a curriculum
  • Provide opportunities for 1-on-1 mentoring
  • Maximize networking potential through mentor/mentee pairs and program-wide networking events
  • Support students and mid-career professionals individually through various academic and professional transition hurdles
  • Provide opportunities for wetland professionals to help guide the next cohort of wetlanders
  • Grow the wetland workforce
Who can participate?
Mentees: The MARSH Program aims to provide mentorship to US-based students (college or graduate school), early career professionals (<5 years post-grad), and those going through mid-career changes. You do not need to be a member of SWS or NAWM to participate.
 
Mentors: We are looking for mentors who are wetland professionals and are excited to share their knowledge and experience with the next cohort of wetlanders. Potential mentors may be early in their career, later in their career, or retired and should have experience in policy/law, management and practice, research science, academia/education, or other wetland-related areas.
 
When will I find out if I am accepted? What if I don’t get matched with a mentor or mentee?
Matched mentors and mentees will be notified in December.
 
We expect to continue MARSH with one or more cohorts of mentors and mentees each year. If you are not matched during this cycle, please check back next year to apply again!
 
How will mentors and mentees be matched?
We will solicit input from potential mentors and mentees during the application process to determine your preferred mentors/mentees. We will do our best to match up mentor/mentee pairs based on preference, shared disciplinary interest, geographic proximity, and schedule compatibility. Due to the breadth of the wetlands field, it’s possible we will not have a mentor available for a particular mentee applicant. If this is the case, we encourage you to apply again in a future program cycle.
 
When will the program begin? How long will it last? 
Each cycle of the MARSH Program will launch in January and will run for one year. We expect to continue the program with one or more cohorts of mentors and mentees each year.
 
What is the time commitment during the program?
During the 12 months of the program, we expect you to commit about 3 to 5 hours a month to mentoring, including individual meetings with your mentor/mentee and participating in program-wide networking and learning opportunities. Meetings are expected to be primarily online, although there will be the possibility for in-person meetings depending on the mentor/mentee pairing and what opportunities arise (e.g., mentoring program events at SWS or NAWM annual meetings).
 
What happens at the end of the year-long program? 
SWS and NAWM will provide support for the “official” mentorship for one year; however, if you and your mentor/mentee want to continue your mentoring relationship after that time, we encourage you to do so! 
 
How does MARSH differ from other SWS mentoring programs?
SWS currently runs the HumMentor program for senior undergraduate and early graduate students from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the SWS Multicultural Mentoring Program (SWaMMP), which provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups to participate in the SWS annual meeting.
 
MARSH will differ from the other SWS mentoring programs in that a major goal of this program is to provide opportunities for wetland-specific skills training to meet individual students’ and professionals’ needs, outside of the constraints of a curriculum. In addition, the program is focused primarily on U.S. mentors and mentees and will support their mentoring relationships over the course of a full year.
 
What support will be provided to mentors/mentees?
An initial webinar, MARSH is Coming! Learn More about the new Mentorship Assisted Resource & Support Hubwas presented on July 21, 2022 providing information about the MARSH program and how to apply. 
 
During the one-year program, SWS and NAWM will provide monthly check-in worksheets to guide your one-on-one meetings with your mentor/mentee. We will facilitate program-wide virtual networking opportunities to meet other wetlands students and professionals. Participants will also be invited to attend quarterly skills/professional development webinars to support your growth and a shared symposium to close out the mentoring program. 
 
SWS and NAWM are also developing a library of mentorship resources and a bibliography of other helpful resources on mentorship.
 
Can I participate in MARSH more than once?
Yes, both mentors and mentees can participate in the program multiple times. You will have to re-apply in the future when applications open for future cycles.