Author: Tijana Ilić

Written by: Ema Štefanac and Andreja Koršič

After a year of participatory processes, consultations with theoreticians, practitioners, innovators of mentoring processes, we are proud to present the publication Holistic Mentoring of Social Innovators.

It all started with a question – how do we mentor those whose environment of influence is constantly changing?

In September 2024, we asked ourselves what mentoring support looks like, which brings long-term development to social innovators, and allows us, the mentors, to become part of the active community of our mentees, and not just bystanders in their development.

Why Holistic Mentoring?

Although popular, we did not choose the adjective holistic in this context by chance. Holistic in medicine means looking at a person as a whole, in a kind of intersection of his mental, psychological, physical, and social capacities.

In this context, holistic means an approach to social innovators, social problems and, ultimately, social innovation.

Social innovators, our mentees, are individuals, activists, informal groups, associations, organizations, startups, basically individuals and/or teams dedicated to social innovation. As such, often in the agile and challenging role of redefining and re-articulating their contribution to the vision of a just, solidary and open society, social innovators require equally agile mentoring support.

Holistic is thus often the only approach that can enable substantial and sustainable development within individual and collective systems of social actors operating in a context and environment in a continuous state of transition and change.

In practice, this means that:

“A mentor does not come as a guru with solutions. He/she comes with attention, listening, openness. He/she provides a framework, but does not draw a map. He/she provides support, but does not eliminate the struggle. He/she learns to lead through presence, not through control. And most importantly, he/she changes.“ (Marina Simeunović, lawyer)

A holistic approach gives us space for individuality, autonomy and authenticity. On the other hand, the level of responsibility among mentees has also increased, as well as the desire and enthusiasm to work on their own development, pay attention to the process and ensure milestones and progress.

“Following the mentee’s/mentee’s thinking, questioning and decision-making helps them find their own path that is in line with them, not just with external expectations.” (Svetlana Stefanović, political scientist and activist)

Why social innovators?

If we ask ourselves why we need a civil society, we will come across a range of answers, conclusions and perspectives. One of them is related to social innovation.

Civil society – as a community of individuals who work within or outside the institutional framework of organizations, informal groups, etc. – can also be defined through the prism of social innovation.

First of all, it is about the role and responsibility that civil society actors assume in the socio-political context in which they operate. The environment imposes barriers, challenges and problems that concern all citizens and are often the result of a lack of institutional mechanisms and resources that the state should provide. In the shadow and gaps of such (un)established systems, civil society is forced to act innovatively, creating opportunities, services, practices and knowledge that can compensate for the key deficiencies of the system and institutional support.

Seen in this way, social innovators are all those who create solutions and bridges from below, take the initiative, take risks and experiment, i.e. innovate in the social, public interest.

Accordingly, in the context of social innovators, it is true that only if they continue to change, they can continuously innovate.

“When grassroots knowledge is systematized and horizontally shared, it becomes a strategic resource for the entire sector, for the entire community of knowledge.” (Milica Batricevic, activist)

The book and the model in front of you are dedicated to the practice, idea and ideal of mentoring.

Thanks to all the co-authors for the trust shown and the joint learning that inspired and informed the model, which does not teach but continues to “learn” with us.

Sharing our mentoring approach with you, we hope it will enable new, more significant and even more innovative mentoring processes!

You can download the Holistic Mentoring Handbook by clicking the button below:

Expert review

“To be together in a safe and courageous space for growth, which is both personalized and connected to the community, this is how to summarize the open invitation that holistic mentoring extends to current and future social innovators. In this book, “holistic” means two things. On the one hand, it is about the complete inclusion of the mentee in the process, and on the other hand, the inclusion of the “whole picture”, that is, the recognition of all connections of the mentee with the community in which he acts and in which he intends to make a change.

Everyone needs a mentor, wrote David Clutterbuck, but what mentoring approach to the process would be most appropriate for individuals, teams, or organizations seeking to make sustainable social change?

The book Holistic Mentoring offers valuable guidance and answers to this very question. This transformative approach to mentoring does not place the mentee’s skills and knowledge at the center of its activity, but above all strengthening, or as the authors vividly say, “anchoring” in the innovator’s identity. And really, is there anything more sustainable than change at the level of identity?

Illuminating the territory with a holistic mentoring space, the authors point out the importance of understanding the ideological assumptions that inform or shape a certain mentoring process in an (in)visible way. Are the goals defined in the mentoring process belonging goals or alienating goals?

There is no holistic mentoring without holistic mentors, who bring their whole self, their own history, strengths and weaknesses to the mentoring process, while being anchored in the “mentoring position”. In this process, the mentor, thanks to his curiosity and willingness to discover – together with the mentee – creates the conditions for the mentoring process like a pendulum movement that enables the examination of the existing limits of thinking and moving the mentee out of balance, providing, on the other hand, a safe place to return.

The book Holistic Mentoring introduces the reader or mentoring practitioner to deep reflection on their own practice, and offers valuable inspiration for improving and co-creating the mentoring process.

Enjoy reading, critical thinking, and the multidimensionality of mentoring.”

Darko Marković, Systemic Solutions Institute