Returned Missionaries launch IMNO
Dear Sir or Madam, As a fellow resident of Utah, I feel it an honor to report to you on my latest endeavors. Most recently, several colleagues and I launched the IMNO website. IMNO stands for International Mentoring Network Organization. The purpose of this website is to open professional Mentoring to the world. Traditionally, mentoring programs have been limited to individuals that participate in Universities, Colleges, Associations, Trade Groups, etc… IMNO makes professional mentoring available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. As a LDS return missionary of the Johannesburg, South Africa Mission and as the first missionary into Mozambique, I understand that hundreds of LDS returned missionaries around the world have difficulties knowing what profession to follow after their missions. Many of them even lose hope and find it difficult to follow their dreams. I was lucky. I graduated from the BYU Marriott School and was able to land a great job at Novell. While in my Junior year, an Alumni helped me get my first internship with Novell. Unfortunately, these type of services do not reach the thousands of returned missionaries around the world. As a result, there are too many unemployed individuals that have the potential of becoming very successful in their chosen profession. The purpose of IMNO is to provide a solution for this issue. Please review our Press Release below (and attached for your convenience) and help us share the news of IMNO through The Utah Statesman. I feel that there are a lot of individuals throughout the world that can benefit from IMNO. I hope we can work together. Sincerely, Patrick Tedjamuliaptedjamulia@novell.com801-361-9942 For Immediate Release
IMNO.ORG opens Mentoring to the world
Contact:Patrick TedjamuliaChris DeaverInternational Mentoring Network Organization (IMNO)ptedjamulia@imno.org801-361-9942
Provo, Utah. September 16, 2004 -The Mission Continues, a non-profit organization, launched the International Mentoring Network Organization (www.imno.org) in response to the worldwide need for professional mentoring.
On the 11th of August 2004, in the UN News Centre (www.un.org/news), the United Nations reported:
“Youth unemployment worldwide skyrocketed to an all-time high. Young people aged 15 to 24 represent nearly half of the world’s jobless although they are only 25 per cent of the working age population.”
“Unemployment often involves a lack of vision,” said Chris Deaver, Director of IMNO, “In order to succeed, people need to study the lives, achievements, guiding principles, and habits of a number of successful people who have preceded them in the mission of life, particularly in their chosen profession. By properly applying the skills and characteristics of extremely outstanding examples, the unemployed quickly becomes the successful professional. That is the power of IMNO.”
IMNO makes professional mentors available to everyone. Individuals no longer interview successful professionals solely for self-development, but also to share the mentor’s advice, council, and information with the world.
“The opportunity that I had to be involved with IMNO really helped bolster my resume,” said Don McCartney from Washington D.C., “This eventually led to my employment in a marketing and media relations position.”
Mentor interviews are posted online where others can view them and comment. IMNO members are notified when a new mentor’s area of expertise aligns with the member’s interest. Once a member posts a comment, the mentor is notified and allowed to reply directly to the individual or the entire IMNO community.
“IMNO is an excellent resource for individuals who want to learn what they need to know to achieve success in their professions,” said Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell Inc., “Of course, not everyone is going to be Michael Jordan. A person’s desire and some coaching helps, but the right skills and talent are necessary. After that, your success will depend on how hard you work and whether or not you are willing to do the things that will get you there. If you have those two elements and then get some good mentoring and good coaching, you can be very successful.”
Traditional mentoring programs are limited to individuals who belong to University Alumni Associations, Industry Associations, etc. IMNO is a mentoring network open to anyone no matter where they live, what school they attend, or who they know. Khanyiso Mdalana, from a small township in Tembisa, South Africa affirmed, “Because of my conditions, I wasn’t able to attend a formal College or University. IMNO gave me an honorable reason to contact and interview the country director of a large software company,” said Khanyiso Mdalana. “I learned what I needed to do to become an IT professional in South Africa. And it sure helps that I got to know the country director of one of the largest software companies in the world!”
Traditional mentor programs match up mentors with mentees through a selection process with a high risk of resulting in dissatisfying circumstances and unfulfilled expectations. IMNO reduces these risks by focusing on the proactive nature of finding a mentor yourself.
In addition, traditional mentor programs require a large investment of time on the part of mentors, which has resulted in a shortage of successful professionals willing and available to mentor. IMNO removes these cumbersome requirements by providing mentors with a way to efficiently communicate to thousands of mentees. “IMNO allows me to mentor hundreds of aspiring athletes and other professionals throughout the world,” said Dale Murphy, two-time Major League Baseball MVP.
IMNO seeks to expand throughout the world. IMNO benefits include:
*Making professional mentor interviews available to everyone
*Giving individuals an honorable reason to interview a successful professional – sharing the information with the world
*Providing the technology for individuals to communicate with professional mentors world-wide
*Helping individuals setup interviews with their desired mentors
*Initiating opportunities for individuals to expand their professional network
*Helping mentors make themselves available to a wider audience while still maintaining their privacy
“In this age of the internet, we are seeing some new things that no one really thought of yet. IMNO is certainly one of those things,” said Jeremy Burgon, HR Consultant for Hewitt Associates, “My profession has given me the opportunity to work with many mentoring programs and I haven’t seen anything like this.”
Some of the IMNO mentors include:
*Jake Garn, former US Senator and Astronaut*Kevin Rollins, CEO Dell Inc.*Robert Rivellino, Brazilian Soccer Star*Ellis Mnyandu, Reuters Journalist from South Africa*Nicole Riding, Played Eponine in Les Miserables Broadway Tour*Robbie Bosco, former BYU Football Quarterback*Milton Camargo, President of AOL Brazil*Sean Griffin, Chef de Cuisine Caesars Palace Las Vegas*Dale Murphy, two-time MVP Major League Baseball*Sally Thompson, Ophthalmologist*Mark Madsen, Minnesota Timberwolves NBA basketball player
“Everyone I talk to is looking for ways, other than simply donating money, where they can help people around the world. Through IMNO, you can help hundreds of individuals achieve their potential by sharing your professional knowledge and experience with them,” said Patrick Tedjamulia, Executive Director of IMNO.
For more information, please go to www.imno.org or contact Patrick Tedjamulia and Chris Deaver at ptedjamulia@imno.org .