Information below is currently being refreshed
Applications for the 2026 AES Peer Group Mentoring Program will open soon . The new program will run from July 2026 to May 2027.
About the Peer Group Mentoring Program
The AES Peer Group Mentoring Program is an innovative online mentoring program, in which experienced evaluators guide small groups of emerging and mid-career evaluators through their professional journey. The program is free. All interested AES members can apply.
Mentees benefit from the expertise and leadership of the mentors, and from the mentee peer support amongst their group. Mentees with diverse experiences learn from each other and develop their support network in the evaluation field. Mentors build their capability in facilitation and leadership, and expand their own networks.
The group mentoring experience is different from traditional 1:1 mentoring. Mentees benefit from the program when they interact and actively engage with their groups and share experiences. Rather than a training course or series of mentor-led lectures or seminars, peer-to-peer dialogue and active engagement is expected. Mentors play a facilitatory and guiding role, and support mentees to explore ideas, find solutions to problems, build their understanding of the practice of evaluation and the importance of building a peer support network.
What are the key dates?
Applications
- Mentor expressions of interest are open between 13 and 29 March 2026.
- Mentors selected and notified by 10 April 2026.
- Mentee expressions of interest open between 1 and 17 May 2026.
- Mentees selected and notified 12 June 2026
- Mentor Community of Practice begins 12 June 2026, 12 pm AEST
Program
- Orientation session for mentees and mentors
3 July 2026, 12 pm AEST - Peer Group Mentoring commences
July 2026 - Large group closing session
9 May 2027, 12pm AEST - Peer Group Mentoring program ends
May 2027
Small groups of two mentors and six to seven mentees meet regularly, usually monthly, over 10 months. They discuss evaluation topics, including challenges and opportunities that mentees encounter in their work. While these sessions are supported and facilitated by mentors, the program is mentee-driven and therefore different from traditional training and workshops. Participants get most out of the program by committing to regular sessions involving high levels of peer-to-peer group interaction and engagement.Mentors play a facilitatory and guiding role, and support mentees to explore their own ideas, solve problems, and build their understanding of evaluation practice.
Mentors are leaders and emerging leaders in evaluation who have the experience and desire to support emerging and mid-career evaluators by sharing their knowledge, skills and experience. Mentors benefit from the program by expanding their network, and building their skills in leadership, facilitation and coaching. Past mentors have said the program is a great way to give back to the field and support emerging and mid-career evaluators though stimulating discussions. They enjoy learning from their mentees, and some found it enhanced their own professional development. We’ve also heard it’s great fun!
Mentors work in partnership. This can be two experienced evaluators working together, an evaluation leader collaborating with an emerging leader who is building their skills in mentorship and facilitation, or another arrangement. All mentors are volunteers.
Mentors should apply together with their partnering mentor. Mentors should propose a topic to be the focus of their mentoring group. Past topics have included:
- Complexity and systems thinking
- Evaluation Capacity Building
- Careers for Qualitative Evaluators
- Leading evaluation
- Emerging evaluators
- Bridging the gap between commissioners and evaluators
- ...and more.
Mentors are provided with a mentoring toolkit and are invited to participate in a mentor Community of Practice to share ideas, and discuss what is working well, and how to address any challenges with their groups.
Mentor roles, responsibilities and expectations are set out in the Program Guide [link]. Mentors should read the program guide before applying.
Download the mentor nomination form [link]
To apply to be a mentor, please complete the nomination form and email it to
Mentees come from all parts of the field of evaluation and bring their diverse experiences to their groups. Mentees must be AES members currently working in evaluation who wish to progress their professional evaluation journey by connecting with peers and more senior evaluators.
Mentees who benefit most from the program:
- Are enthusiastic and willing to actively participate and share ideas with their peers.
- Have sufficient time to dedicate to the program, including support from their employer, where needed.
- Come from any time zone and location, including regional locations.
- Are flexible to accommodate the needs of others, including their different time zones and caring responsibilities.
- Actively participate in online meeting discussions and group dialogue between meetings.
- Currently work in evaluation and plan to continue to practice evaluation.
- May currently experience professional isolation.
- Want to build a peer support network.
Past program evaluation has highlighted that this program may not be right for everyone, such as people seeking 1:1 mentoring, seeking technical evaluation training, those not working in evaluation, or those unable to meet the mentee commitment expectations outlined below.
We particularly encourage EOIs from First Nations evaluators, evaluators located in regional and remote areas, and evaluators from diverse backgrounds.
Applications for mentees will open soon.
Both the 2021 pilot and 2022 program were evaluated. The learnings from these evaluations, and ongoing monitoring have been incorporated into the 2026-27 program design. You can view the reports here:
All participants are expected to contribute to monitoring and evaluation activities, such as surveys, and to provide feedback. Participants may also be requested to contribute to an evaluation of the program in years to come.