Welcome to the Technovation Volunteer Management Module!
In this module you will become familiar with the diverse roles within the Technovation program and gain insights into how you can effectively support your staff and volunteers.
Use the menu below to jump quickly to a specific role:
Mentors
Coaches
Student Ambassadors
Judges
Volunteer Roles
Technovation volunteers support youth as they grow into tech creators and problem solvers. Whether mentoring, sharing expertise, or reviewing submissions, there’s a role for every skill set.
Note: The term “volunteer” encompasses a wide variety of people who are involved in the Technovation program who are not HQ staff. We recognize these people may be paid staff at organizations and we support Chapters in compensating those in these roles as is appropriate.
👨🏫
Mentors
Industry professionals, educators, parents, post-secondary students or faculty who directly support student teams throughout the season.
Time commitment: 1-3 hrs / week, varies by local program
Coaches
Topic specialists from Technovation’s corporate partners who support teams through 1-hour coaching sessions throughout the season.
Time commitment: 1 hr / session
Student Ambassadors
Technovation’s previous students that are selected to support their peers in the program.
Time commitment: Flexible, 1-5 hrs / week
Judges
Volunteers that provide feedback and scores to teams who submit their projects in the competition.
Time commitment: 3-5+ hrs total, depending on format
All Chapter Leaders will recruit and support Mentors. Your involvement with other volunteer roles (Coaches, Student Ambassadors, Judges) may vary depending on your region and program structure.
MENTORS
The Role Of Mentors
Mentors can be industry professionals, educators, staff, post-secondary faculty and students, Technovation Alumni, or parents. Here are some of the key roles of Mentors:
- Mentors work directly with students to support teams as they learn about coding, AI, and problem-solving.
- Mentors guide students through the curriculum and connect them with resources.
- Mentors support team's project management, helping them track their progress and complete all the submission requirements
- There are no technical skills required, just a willingness to learn with their team.
❝ One of the things I appreciate the most is that being a Mentor in this program constantly pushes me to learn. In order to guide and assist the girls, I’ve had to acquire new knowledge and skills, ranging from technical tools to problem-solving methods.
Technovation Mentor
2024 Season
Mentor Training
Online Training
All Mentors are required to complete Technovation’s online, self-paced Mentor training, accessible through the Mentor dashboard. This ensures that every volunteer is aligned with our mission and has the tools to support students effectively.
Local Training
We encourage Chapter Leaders to host a local mentor training session to build community and provide regional context.
You can:
Use Technovation’s online mentor modules as part of your local training
Adapt session content to highlight your local schedule, logistics, or student needs
How to Support Mentors
- Emphasize available resources
Technovation HQ sends regular updates via email & Slack + opportunities to attend live sessions on different topics throughout the season. These resources are open to all Mentors.
- Encourage co-mentoring
Encourage volunteers to invite a friend or colleague to join them so that they can share the workload. Chapter Leaders can also pair up Mentors in their Chapter if volunteers are seeking additional support.
- Build community
Encourage Mentors to share advice and ask questions with each other.
- Communication methods
Mentor Resources
The Mentor Resource Page offers a wide range of materials that provide guidance on using the curriculum, working with students, and staying connected.
Encourage your mentors to explore the following key resources:
- Pre-Season Checklist – A helpful tool that Mentors can use to prepare for the season.
- Student Curriculum – The content that students will use to brainstorm a problem and build a tech solution
- Curriculum Slides – Slides Mentors can use to walk their teams through lessons and activities
- Mentor Curriculum Guide – A companion to the Student Curriculum that helps Mentors successfully facilitate and plan team meetings
- Pre-Built Meeting Agendas – Ready-to-use agendas for Mentors
- Mentor Newsletter – Sent every three weeks with new resources, live session invites, and important updates. (Ambassadors can sign up to receive the Mentor Newsletter.)
COACHES
The Role Of Coaches
Coaches are topic specialists who volunteer through Technovation’s corporate partners. Starting mid-season, teams can book 1-hour sessions with Coaches to get support on specific topics.
- Ideation
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Coding - for the following supported platforms/languages:
- MIT App Inventor
- Thunkable
- Scratch
- Python
- Artificial Intelligence
- Business
- Pitching
📧 Keep an eye on your email to know when coaching will open this season!
STUDENT AMBASSADORS
The Role Of Student Ambassadors
Student Ambassadors are selected Technovation Alumni who have completed at least one full season of the program and are between the ages of 13 and 18.
Student Ambassadors help run Technovation by supporting their peers to participate in the program. The goal of this experience is to build their leadership abilities and cultivate technical, business, and creative problem solving skills.
- Recruit participants
- Help students to get started
- Engage and support students
- Support their Chapter Leader, IF there is one in their region
❝ Being from an underserved community, I wanted to bring more opportunities for girls to my hometown. I am able to do that as a Student Ambassador.
Past Student Ambassador
Uzbekistan
Supporting Student Ambassadors
Technovation HQ will introduce Student Ambassadors and Chapter Leaders via email. After the introduction, Chapter Leaders should reach out to Student Ambassadors to schedule a meeting to discuss:
- How They’d Like to Stay in Touch
Ask which platform works best for them—WhatsApp, email, or something else—and use that as your main way to connect throughout the season.
- What They Hope to Learn and Do
- How You’ll Work Together Locally
JUDGES
The Role Of Judges
NOTE: To maintain fairness, Chapter Leaders, Club Leaders, Student Ambassadors, and Mentors cannot serve as Judges
Judges are volunteer professionals from tech and business who provide scores and feedback to help students continue learning in tech and entrepreneurship. Technovation supports them with online training, resources, and clear evaluation rubrics.
- Review student submissions
- Judge scores and feedback help determine global finalists. Learn more in the judging rubric
- Provide feedback to encourage teams to improve their project
Judging Formats
In the first round of judging, Technovation offers two judging options: through in-person pitch events or online judging.
In-Person Judging
Chapters who host in-person Regional Pitch Events (RPEs) may recruit local volunteers as Judges to score and give feedback on submissions.
⏰ Judge Time Commitment: Determined by the Chapter hosting the event — usually 5+ hours.
Online Judging
Any teams who submit but do not attend an RPE will have their projects judged online.
⏰ Judge Time Commitment: 3+ hours to score at least 5 submissions.
Tip! If you’re holding an end of season pitch or celebration event, judging can be a great way to involve local businesses and corporations!
Safety
Technovation is committed to helping our participants use technology safely and responsibly. We aim to provide a safe space where students can experiment and build their resilience and perseverance.
We have developed a set of guidelines for all adults interacting with students in the program:
