# About the Buddy Role

## The Buddy System
The Buddy System is designed to help S1 students progress through their training in the Polaris FIR as quickly and efficiently as possible. It functions as a way to close the gap between completing the Moodle self-study course and having a training session, easing mentor workload and making the entire process smoother.

### Mentors vs Buddies
Both Mentors and Buddies are experienced controllers who contribute to the community and help our new controllers, but their roles differ slightly.

**Mentors** are responsible for training, evaluating, and helping students succeed through the different training programs. Being a mentor takes considerable time and effort and requires the ability to adapt and teach students with varying levels of prior experience.

**Buddies** also help students, but in a more general way. A buddy can help new students by demonstrating and discussing various topics that are relevant for new controllers.

### Further Reading
- [Local Training Structure](https://wiki.vatsim-scandinavia.org/link/1445#bkmrk-buddies)
- [Buddy System](https://wiki.vatsim-scandinavia.org/books/training-curriculum/page/buddy-system)

## Tasks and Responsibilities

### Buddy Tasks
- Conduct "mini-sessions" on the network to show controlling techniques and software in use
- Demonstrate the use of software and other commonly used tools and websites
- Answer questions about theoretical training material and practical controlling techniques
- Be inclusive and helpful to new members in the community

### Buddy Responsibilities
- Stay current on procedures and theoretical knowledge
- Use correct phraseology and consistently demonstrate good techniques
- Maintain a calm, professional, and welcoming attitude
- Refer to official VATSCA and real-life documentation when relevant