New Mentorship Opportunities to Advance YWCA Participants' Career Success
A valuable new resource has arrived for YWCA Metro Vancouver participants aiming to advance their careers. The YWCA Engage Mentorship Hub is designed to connect newcomer women with mentors across various industries, offering crucial support to help them expand their professional networks, gain insights into different career paths and enhance their job readiness.
At the heart of this program is micro-mentoring, which has a short-term, focused approach. Unlike traditional, long-term partnerships, micro-mentoring revolves around specific topics or skills and only requires a minimal time commitment, making it more accessible. This "bite-sized knowledge transfer" allows mentors and mentees to engage in focused, meaningful conversations that build relationships while maintaining flexibility.
Participants can engage in activities such as guest speaker sessions, skills training, informational meetings, employer hiring events, workplace tours and networking practice with experienced professionals.
"Our Career Conversation Circles provide a safe space, typically with a 5:1 participant-to-mentor ratio, where mentees can explore employment topics in depth," said Engage Mentorship Program Manager Melanie Mageau. "It's an opportunity for more intimate discussions that meet participants' specific career needs."
The Mentorship Hub prioritizes self-identifying women who have completed one of the YWCA’s Employment and Community Programs and are currently unemployed or underemployed. Since June, the program has collaborated with mentors from the Vancouver School Board, BC Public Services, Quartech and the STEM/Biotech sector, with plans to expand into others.
Professionals from all industries are encouraged to get involved as mentors, no matter their career stage. As Mageau noted, "You can significantly impact the career journeys of women striving to realize their full potential in the workforce."
Whether virtual or face-to-face, in groups or one-to-one, the Engage Mentorship Hub offers diverse, flexible opportunities for both mentors and mentees.
Support from donors is essential for the program’s growth and sustainability. For information on how to donate, please reach out to Bobbi Sarai Tanguay at bsarai@ywcavan.org or 604 895 5780.
