Brian, Your idea about the VE team as a good beginning is one I have been shouting from the rooftops since this whole idea of mentoring has taken shape...(actually longer than that!). As the VE Liaison and member of one of the largest VE teams in Northern NJ, I can tell you that we do mentoring right on the spot. NO one leaves our session without one or more contacts or shadows as we call them, and a follow-up phone call or email is always done by me. Not that we test a great deal of applicants any longer like back in the 90's, but no one goes out of our sessions alone. We load them with info and the members of my team are really good about finding out just what the applicant wants to do with their Amateur Radio license. One thing I must point out to you, the VE teams are independent, as are the VE's themselves. Most of VE sessions are unsponsored meaning not affiliated with any club or organization. It's just come in and test, then leave. Then you have others that administer testing, outside outfits, like W5YI and a few others. Not all are ARRL/VEC teams. Not all are active every month, some only once a year. I've heard that many sessions never make it once they are registered. I have had candidates tell me of no show VE's at a session. No phone calls, no notes, nothing. Scary thought. But most have a happy ending. However, it has been suggested to me that burdening the VE teams with the prospect of mentoring is not a favorable idea. These teams have enough to do just to get the applicant tested and the paperwork processed. Like it or not, I agree that some teams (or people) shouldn't even mentor. Like everything else, the caliber of people you need to mentor is not always there. We have to be careful not destroy what we have just tested, so to speak. Then there is the time factor. I speak from experience here....I mentor over 10 hams every month in some way. Either by phone, email, in person, with the help of a club I belong too, whatever, you name it. This takes a lot of time and personal commitment. Most come from my VE session, but many come via way of "the ARRL gave me your name". Do I mind, NO WAY! I am committed to helping, that's my nature and I know how to do it, and how much to do at a given time. If it's something I can't help with, I pass them over to someone else who I know will help and give them a positive experience. It's a numbers game, and no we can't help them all. Some don't even want help and that's okay, but asking Section Managers and ACC's to take on added responsibility of visiting VE teams is a big risk. Most don't even have enough time to do what they need to do now. Some do nothing at all. And even asking some VE teams to do this meets with a great deal of resistance as I have found out. I have heard, though that there was a VE team in Texas that ran a short New Ham Information 'class' after the applicant passed his/her test. Complete with radios and all the info you could imagine. Yes, that is neat idea. No, I'm not shooting down your idea, it's just that I do this already, and yes, I wish more VE teams did. How do you think my VE team grew from 10 to 40 members in 5 years? Let's say - they came, the saw, they got mentored, they liked what they saw, they stayed, now, they help....they give back. One of the most dedicated people on the ARRL Staff that promotes mentoring, because it's his job and he believes in it, is Norm Fusaro, W3IZ....what an excited guy. If you haven't met him yet, do yourself a favor and call him, stop in to see him next time you're in Newington. He is excited about the hobby, excited about mentoring, and has some really great ideas some of which are found on the ARRL website. Harold, I know you agree with that!! What do we do? We do what we can....little by little we spread the word, mentor when we can or find people who are good mentoring and get them out there. Me, I test Cosmonauts!!!! Just kidding, I test all and mentor 100%. 73, Joyce KA2ANF -----Original Message----- From: Brian Mileshosky [mailto:n5zgt@swcp.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 12:00 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: 'Kramer, Harold, WJ1B' Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:12895] FW: The ARRL Task Force for Growth of Amateur Radio Harold et al., A few comments below: 1.. How Do We Make It Easier For New Licensees To Get On The Air? How Do We Attract New Members From New Licensees? Our research tells us that 25% of new licensees never get on the air. What can we can we do to fix this? How can we increase awareness and benefits of ARRL membership to new licensees? Team Leaders: Jon Bloom, Dennis Motschenbacher Deadline: October 1, 2005 One solution I can think of is to target these new Hams right when they become Hams - i.e. at VE exam sessions. This is the time when they are pumped and looking for something to get involved in. Someone needs to meet them half-way with a mouth full of stories and a handful of brochures for various local clubs/events and of course ARRL. Otherwise, if they're allowed to walk off without anyone engaging them until they make their first QSO, their enthusiasm begins to go south. Perhaps to the point where they become part of the 25% quoted above. By the way, 25% is alarming. Why would anyone go through the effort to become licensed for TALKING ON THE AIR, and end up NOT ever talking on the air? It's like me going to driving school, getting my driver's license and choosing to never drive. Something's up, and it sure isn't helping the future of Ham Radio. Back to my point, perhaps a push can be made via Section Managers, their team of VEs and Affiliated Club Coordinators, to organize a team of enthusiastic Hams and some promo material (not just ARRLs promo stuff, but more importantly - in my opinion - local clubs' and events', where the tangible benefits are more apparent and immediate to a newcomer) and visit their monthly VE exams to promote involvement to our newest Hams and potential ARRL members. 73, Brian, N5ZGT