The Mentorship Development Program (MDP) is a mentorship program that aims at developing awareness, responsibility, and leadership in groups
MDP for Aikido students are selected by Chief Instructor Andrew Leitch based on the student’s grade in Aikido, level of maturity, and readiness for the Mentorship Development Program.
Aikido MDP Program
The MDP is a program Zenten Aikido adopted from a similar mentorship program run in Aikido clubs in Canada. The program helps students gain responsibility, awareness, and leadership in Aikido practice by becoming mentors and being trained in practicing those skills. It helps create an environment where elders (senpai) help younger students grow and, by helping, older students gains awareness, responsibility, and can develop leadership.
MDP Training
Twice a year, during Spring and Fall, MDP selected students from various international schools in Tokyo will have a training to further their knowledge and skills as mentors. This is a time to practice their leadership skills with MDP peers, get feedback from teachers, and practice Aikido with more advanced students of different schools.
MDP-lead Events
MDP students get to organize various yearly events such as Halloween and Christmas events. Students get to put their communication skills, collaborative skills, and leadership skills to work in order to co-create a fun event together. Here, the focus in not directly on Aikido but on interpersonal skills mentioned above, which we believe is important to develop in order to be a well-rounded mentor.
