Our Mission
The YWCA High School Mentorship program supports young women and non-binary students in high school to build better careers for their future. Our mission is to support youth in their transition to university, nurture their leadership ability, and address the barriers and adversity they may experience in their advancement in employment and in the workplace.
How the Program Works
We match young women and non-binary youth in Grades 11 and 12 (mentees) with volunteer professionals (mentors) for a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Mentor-mentee matches are based on career and education goals, hobbies, and the level of support required. Mentees will meet with their mentors a minimum of once each month to explore career options, make education and training plans, improve their leadership skills, gain new life experience and more.
To ensure a low-barrier program, we offer free workshops and events throughout the program duration (November – June), in addition to monthly newsletters with free and low-cost activity ideas.
The program welcomes members of the Non-Binary, Two-Spirit, Trans, Queer, and Disabled Communities.
Program Timeline
Mentor Application Period: July – October
Mentee Application Period: September – October
Match Period: October - November
Program Duration: November – June
For more information or to apply, contact High School Mentorship at mentorship@ywcavan.org
What Mentees say about the program
“I continue to learn valuable information from [my mentor] that I haven’t been able to learn at school. She is very considerate and understanding of my situation and gives me very useful opinions on any situation I need help with.” - Mentee
“Talking to [my mentor] along with others, I've learnt that things end up working out in the end career wise, and you've got to explore as much as possible. There are many ways to achieve your goals and it is not the end of the world if you don't meet them because there are always other options.” – Mentee
“We are always the last ones to leave because there's still so much to talk about.” - Mentee
>> BECOME A MENTEE
What Mentors say about the program
“I'm constantly inspired and impressed with [my mentee’s] curiosity and non-stop energy. She seems not only to be a strong student, but a very involved community participant as well.” – Mentor
“It’s definitely mutually beneficial. The field trips and activities we have been on have helped me to learn more about myself. For example, she likes bike riding and I’m not very confident on a bike. But one day she said let’s go and I’m so glad I did it, I loved it and felt so happy to have done something out of my comfort zone.” – Mentor
“[My mentee] is a dedicated, outgoing and hardworking student. It’s a pleasure to be her mentor! – Mentor