Mentoring is the “presence of individuals who provide support, advice, reinforcement and constructive examples to help others succeed”. A mentor is a person of greater knowledge or wisdom who shares this experience to help develop abilities of those junior to him or her.
If you do not have currently have a mentor, I highly encourage you to seek a few out. Is there a particular woman or man you admire, do they have something you want? Ask them for a coffee and get to know them more, no need to ask if they will be your mentor right away, wait and see if your relationship just naturally evolves that way.
I currently have three mentors that I meet with on a regular basis and they have influenced and supported both personal and professional decisions I have made. I don’t know what I would have done without them!
Some formal mentorship programs I love:
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs Mentor Program – Are you a woman entrepreneur looking for a mentor? Are you a business person ready to make a difference as a mentor?
Vancouver Board of Trade Leaders of Tomorrow Mentorship Program – Engages final year post secondary students with established professionals in Vancouver’s business community.
Women’s Enterprise Centre Taking the Stage and Peer Mentoring Programs. Other programs include One-to-One mentoring and mentor forums.
Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Mentorship Program – I am currently one of the 100 Protege’s across Canada and am loving the program. It includes a match with one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and classroom room work provided by the SFU Beedie School of Business. One year in length.
Women in Leadership Foundation Mentorship Program – Aim is to increase women’s participation in management or leadership positions in Canada through combining mentorship and leadership skills development. Six months in length. Accepting applications in April/May 2011.
Women on Board – Mentoring Program promotes the appointment of women to corporate boards in Canada. By connecting talented senior executive women with board chairs and CEOs from leading Canadian companies
Minerva BC Programs
YWCA Vancouver Mentorship Programs – Including “Connect to Success”, High School, Aboriginal and Youth Mentoring
Follow Us!