By Gabriel Cohen, Product Manager for Mentorship

More than 200 million people on Facebook are members of groups they consider meaningful. They use groups to build and foster supportive communities around topics that matter to them. Today, we’re bringing Mentorship to Facebook Groups to make it easier for people who want help achieving their goals to connect with others in their community who have the experience or expertise to help.

Last year we piloted Mentorship, and by bringing it to groups, people in existing communities can now connect and get one-on-one support through a guided program.

For example, two mothers in Mama Dragons, a group meant to empower and support mothers with LGBTQIA children, are helping each other navigate the journey of raising a transgender child. Also, a woman was paired with a mentor from Soap-making and Business Coaching who has helped her take her love for making soap from a hobby to a business.

Mentorship is available to people within select groups focused on parenting, professional and personal development.

Here’s how it works:

Group admins create a mentorship program. Admins can choose from a variety of template programs, such as career advancement, skill development, or encouragement and support, and select the one that best fits their community’s needs. People sign up and are matched with their mentor/ mentee: Group members can sign up to be a mentor or a mentee, then the group admin will pair people together. Pairs are introduced. Pairs can get to know each other and work through program steps in their one-on-one mentorship program on Facebook. They can share and comment on posts there or communicate through Messenger. Mentors and mentees get step-by-step guidance. The pairs progress through a guided program that encourages them to check in with each other weekly.

Mentorship is built with privacy and safety in mind. All communications between a mentor and mentee is visible only to the pair. People can report issues to Facebook, and they have access to the same reporting and blocking features available elsewhere on Facebook. Mentorship is only available to people 18 years and older.

Our goal is to build tools that help people get the support they need. We hope that Mentorship makes it easier for people to build relationships that help them reach their goals.