To further support struggling teams, we offer the Student Exchange program. Similarly to the Mentor Match program, it provides teams with people experienced in everything from manufacturing to programming to fundraising. However, the people involved are peers and not professionals. We provide three types of student exchange depending on the team or individual's time commitment.
On Call.
On Call members in the program participate in single sessions when they are needed. These members are called when a team is in urgent need of assistance (within the next week). When a team requests an On Call student, we work with them and our pool of students to find someone who can attend their meeting.
Individual.
Individual students commit to peer mentoring a team throughout the length of a season. Time commitment varies but is approximately two to three hours a week. The program will match you to another team near you and who needs your expertise.
Team.
This is where the "exchange" comes into play. Two teams commit to working together for at least a season. The URL will assist in organizing visits to each other's shop to work in the same space about once every 1-2 weeks. Additionally, individual students on each team might go to the other team's meeting. This program provides the most complete support as all parts of each team are involved. Students will build relationships with people from a different background than their own and ultimately lift up both teams in the process.