Committee Chair: David Hughes
The mentorship committee is responsible for matching experienced beekeepers to OBA members who are new to beekeeping to help them get started and to act as a resource when new challenges arise. We try to insure that anyone who needs assistance, from the basics to more advanced topics, has access to help.
If you simply have an occasional question to ask, or you want an opinion, consider joining our Discussion Group.
Requirements for being Mentored.
We are a volunteer organization and therefore have limited resources and volunteers with all different needs, abilities and schedules. With this in mind you need to follow our advice in order to receive a Mentor. The first thing we tell everyone that wants to become a beekeeper is to take our Beginner Beekeeper course. It is informational and will give you a good idea of what you are getting yourself in to.
The next thing is to take an Apprentice Beekeeping course. We offer this at least twice a year. This will give you a solid base and understanding. With this in mind we are now making mentorship available to Apprentice level and above only. This does not mean we will not answer your questions! You can still use our OBA Members Facebook page, or our new Google Group, OBA Discussions.
Our goal is to not burn out our pool of Mentors. We hope you understand!
I need a mentor please!
We do our best to find Mentees a suitable Mentor. Remembering that we are all volunteers, this is not always possible. Do your best to fill out our request form as accurately as possible. The better the information, the better the match we can find.
The committee is accepting volunteers!
There are always more people who need mentors than we have mentors volunteering! The committee is looking for more mentors as well as new ideas for ways to maximize mentorship opportunities.
If you are interested in joining the mentorship committee, please fill out the form. Email us at Mentorship@olympiabeekeepers.org if you have additional questions.