Lessons in Mentoring Game Design

Mentoring is an Art and a Science, waiting to be discovered by a process of trial and commission. This past summer of COVID 2020, 11 Mentors (Class of 2021) were in turn mentored to step up and work with 5 teams to develop a board game in 4 weeks! The lessons are priceless and our young adult mentors were able to reflect on their experience through a series of FB Live interviews with Rathi Raja.

Part 1

Sanjna Kedia

~Virtual coaching has been very gratifying though we struggled at times

~Playing games helps everyone to connect with each other

~Becoming friends with the kids really got them to speak and engage

~It's all about collaboration and compromise at the end of the day

Haritha Lakshmanan

~The key to a good relationship between mentees and mentors is to find a middle ground

~Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is one of the most important things to learn in life

~Everyone's ideas are beautiful in their own way

Preesha Mody

~Virtual communication still has the human touch through it

~No one idea is superior

~A better relationship improves confidence 

Part 2

Saniya Gaitonde

~Nonverbal communication opened a lot of doors for kids

~Collaborating and asking for help is less stressful than doing everything independently

~Rather than doing everything, doing what means the most to you is more important

~Sometimes plans do not work out, but coping with that is key

~Being flexible and open to changes is really important

Durva Joshi

~Virtual communication forces us to think outside of the box

~It is important to trust the mentees instead of micromanaging

~Developing a goal early on is extremely important

Tanya Shah

~Different communication methods is needed for different types of kids

~Breaks that are rewarding encourage us to do better

~Being older naturally comes with responsibility and trust

Khushi Shah

~A virtual platform allowed for easy collaboration

~Letting the kids know why they are doing something helps to motivate them

~Once that human connection is established, everything becomes more personal and interesting

~You can’t procrastinate when other people are depending on you

Part 3

Aarya Agarwal

~As a mentor, you should be willing to engage with mentees at their level

~Recognizing when to help and when not to help is extremely important

~Catering to a mentee’s strengths helps them be more confident in themselves

~Being able to take risks and initiatives are key to make a good team

Japesh Shah

~Being virtual allows kids who are introverts to voice their opinions

~Creating an atmosphere where mentees could be honest helped us have more creative ideas

~Giving each kid independence improved our team

Asvin Ranganathan

~Trusting our mentees was more important than micromanaging

~Incentivizing kids that are more quiet to speak up is really important

~Recognizing each mentee’s strengths is vital to helping them grow