“Mentoring is a chance to grow together”
Nadine Nero and Aileen Irons share their experience of the Envision mentoring programme at IOP Publishing
Mentorship is often viewed as a one-way street, with mentors sharing their wisdom, guidance, and expertise with mentees.
But anyone who has stepped into a mentorship role knows that the learning goes both ways. More often than not, mentors gain just as much – if not more –from the experience, whether through fresh perspectives, new ideas, or the inspiration that comes from supporting young people and giving back to their communities.
At IOP Publishing (IOPP) we believe that fostering talent and professional growth is essential – not just for individuals, but for the organisation as a whole. The Envision mentoring programme is one of the initiatives that supports IOP Publishing’s evolving employee value proposition, which is designed to make science better, together through an exceptional employee experience, delivering a meaningful social impact.
Twice a year, IOPP welcomes a group of young people into our office as part of the 12-week Envision mentoring programme. The programme empowers young people from less advantaged backgrounds to develop their employability by helping them to tackle real-life social problems.
Through our involvement, we’ve seen first-hand the significant benefits of mentoring, both for the students and their communities and for us as professionals. This year, that impact was recognised when IOPP mentors won Envision’s ‘Mentor Team of the Year’ award.
Gaining fresh perspectives
What stood out for us was the courage of the young people. Whether tackling a social action campaign for their school or stepping up for public speaking, even when it made them nervous, they pushed themselves in ways that inspired us. Watching them face their fears made us reflect: what’s stopping us from doing the same?
Teamwork was another big challenge. For many of them, this was the first time they’d had to collaborate on something important. There were plenty of disagreements, but in the end, they found ways to work through them. It was a great reminder that, no matter our age, teamwork isn’t always easy. Different perspectives can lead to friction, but when we focus on a shared goal, great things happen.
Making space for quieter voices
Mentoring isn’t just about guiding others – it’s also about developing key leadership skills. Patience, empathy, active listening, and clear communication all play a huge role, and throughout the Envision programme, we had plenty of opportunities to strengthen them.
One of the biggest lessons we learnt was the importance of giving people space to speak. Some of our mentees were really shy at first, and we realised that instead of filling the silence, we needed to step back and let them find their voice. A great tip from Envision was to challenge them with a simple “No need to answer now, I’ll get back to you.” It gave the young people time to think, and we saw it work wonders.
It’s a lesson that applies far beyond mentoring. In the workplace, quieter voices can often go unheard, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have valuable insights. By making space for everyone to contribute, we create stronger teams and better ideas.
We also found ourselves asking more open questions, the kind that spark real discussions rather than just yes-or-no answers. It made our conversations richer and helped us grow as communicators.
Finding renewed inspiration
It is incredibly rewarding watching a mentee grow, tackle challenges, and gain confidence. Through the mentoring programme, we were reminded that learning is a lifelong journey, not just for the mentees but for us, too.
At times, it was humbling. The mentees often assumed that we had all the answers, but the reality is that we’re still figuring things out ourselves. Looking back at our own teenage years, we remember how nerve-wracking it was to speak in front of a room full of people. Honestly, it still is! But helping the mentees through their fears, by sharing tips like box breathing and power poses, gave us the push to practise what we preached. At the final session, we had a good laugh together as we struck power poses, but we also saw just how far they (and we) had come.
Strengthening emotional intelligence
Looking back, we both agree that taking part in the Envision mentoring programme has been an enriching experience, not just for the mentees, but for us as well. It has helped us develop skills we can carry into our professional lives, from leadership and communication to patience and adaptability.
We’re grateful that IOP Publishing actively supports initiatives like this as part of its commitment to making science better, together. Delivering social impact by working with young people has really inspired us to get involved with future mentoring opportunities and explore more ways to give back.
By learning and growing alongside our mentees, we feel better prepared to take on the challenges of a busy workplace – and maybe even a nerve-wracking presentation or two!
Nadine Nero is AWS platform manager and Aileen Irons is a senior marketing operations specialist at IOP Publishing (IOPP)
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