Welcome to the Staff & 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.
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.
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 who 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
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.
Preview the Mentor Training (2027 updates coming soon)
Local Training
We strong encourage Chapter Leaders to host a local mentor training session to build community and provide regional context.
❗Please ensure all volunteers are trained and familiar with Technovation’s safety guidelinesas well as any local child protection regulations.
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 that 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. Program Leaders can also pair up Mentors if volunteers are seeking additional support.
- Build community
Encourage Mentors to share advice and ask questions with each other.
- Communication methods
Use 1-2 methods of communication, such as Whatsapp, email or Slack. Check-in to find any pain points; be open to questions and feedback
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:
- Custom Curriculum Map Generator – Mentors can generate a custom curriculum map for themselves based on their team's timeline and meeting cadence.
- Curriculum Slides – Slides to walk teams through lessons and activities
- Mentor Curriculum Guide – A companion to the Student Curriculum with key objectives & timing guides
- Pre-Built Meeting Agendas – Ready-to-use meeting agendas for Mentors
- Mentor Newsletter – Sent every three weeks with new resources, live session invites, and important updates. (Chapter and Club Leaders can sign up to receive the Mentor Newsletter.)
Safety
Technovation is committed to helping our participants use technology safely and responsibly. As our program operates in so many different locations, it’s takes everyone’s involvement to ensure all participants are safe and respected.
We’ve updated our guidelines for all adults interacting with students. Check out the new versions below!
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
-
Coding - for the following 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.
Here’s how Student Ambassadors might be involved:
- Recruit participants
- Lead Technovation clubs at their school
- Host info sessions or workshops
- 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
How to Support Student Ambassadors
Technovation HQ will introduce Student Ambassadors and Chapter & Club 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 Communicate
Ask which platform works best for them—WhatsApp, email, or something else—and use that as your main way to connect.
*Please ensure the student ambassadors’ parents are appropriately included in your communications.
- What They Hope to Learn and Do
Find out their personal goals as a Student Ambassador and how they hope to grow as a leader through this experience.
- How You’ll Work Together Locally
Talk through ways they can support your program and decide how you’ll collaborate during the season.
JUDGES
The Role Of Judges
NOTE: To maintain fairness, Chapter & Club Leaders, Student Ambassadors, and Mentors cannot serve as Judges
Judges are volunteer professionals from tech and business who provide scores and feedback on project submissions. Technovation supports them with online training, resources, and evaluation rubrics.
- Judges review project submissions and use the rubric to score and provide individualized feedback on each project
- Judge scores and feedback help determine global finalists.
- Check out the judging rubric
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.
⏰ 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!
