Empowering Youth for Green Careers via Mentorship

Are you an emerging professional looking to grow your green career or an experienced professional looking to give back to the community? The Green Career Centre’s Mentorship Program offers a transformative experience to gain industry insights, build confidence, access resources, and make a lasting impact in the sustainability sector.

The mentorship program was offered to participants that attended the Green Career Fair. For applicants to be mentees, they must be a youth aged 18-30, reside in Canada, and must identify as a member of a marginalized group. The applicants must commit to two one-hour virtual mentorship sessions, must disclose how they would use the $250 for professional development, and demonstrate an interest in a green career.

Youth that participated in our Green Career Fair were selected at random to participate in the mentorship program. They were paired with a mentor within our network of Sustainability Influencers. Mentees received two one-hour mentorship sessions from a selected mentor. This year’s mentorship program consisted of 4 mentors and 4 mentees that were paired together. We want to thank the following mentors for supporting our mentees and participating in the program: Ashoke Mohanraj, Kristry Drutman, Chuk Odenigbo, and Miranda Baksh. We also want to thank the following mentees for participating in the mentorship program: Stephen Mulvihill, Minh-Ly De Reboul, Paloma DSilva, Maria Malik.

To reduce barriers to participating in the program, a $250 honorarium was provided to mentees to support their professional development. Mentors were also awarded a $250 honorarium for their time.

As a mentee, the mentorship program is designed with the professional growth of youth in mind. Mentees can expand their network, develop green skills, gain industry insights, and discover new professional opportunities. These professional opportunities include attending a sustainability conference, participating in sustainability courses, or purchasing LinkedIn premium to build your network. For mentors, providing mentorship to aspiring green professionals can motivate them to become social innovators that reduce socioeconomic inequality and encourage them to pursue green careers based on intrinsic motivation.

Green Career Fair participants were asked to fill out a Google Form and answer all of the eligibility questions. They were also asked to select their top 3 mentors that they would like to have the opportunity to meet. Mentees were selected through random selection. Mentors in the GCC mentorship program provide expertise and insights that can make a profound impact by supporting emerging professionals on their journey towards a rewarding green career and help shape the future of the industry.

More About the Sponsorship to Support the Mentorship Program

The Mentorship Program was made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Laidlaw Foundation.

The Laidlaw Foundation is a Canadian charitable foundation that provides financial support to youth development programs that focus on education for underprivileged communities to reduce poverty and inequality. The Laidlaw Foundation supports young people impacted by the justice, education, and child-welfare systems to become healthy and engaged by investing in innovative ideas, convening interested parties, advocating for systems change, and sharing learning across the sector. The Green Career Centre received the Pop-Up grant from Laidlaw Foundation, a grant that supports projects and events created by youth that address the climate crisis. With their support, the Green Career Centre’s Mentorship Program connects mentees with mentors, creating an environment where knowledge is shared, networks are expanded, and career aspirations are nurtured.

Mentorship Testimonials

The Green Career Centre asked for feedback on the GCC mentorship program and here is what our mentors had to say.

Ashoke Mohanraj, one of the mentors shared:

“It’s a great way for mentors to share their own trials and tribulations with youth who are in a similar position or have similar aspirations. It's also a cool way for mentors to see what's going on in the industry and where things are headed in regards to things like talent acquisition and in demand skill sets.”

Chúk Odenigbo, another mentor, also found the program to be an excellent way to connect with aspiring professionals:

“It was so exciting to meet a young social entrepreneur and be of service in any aspect of their journey. Programs like this are so important because they allow for a transfer of knowledge, a transfer of lived experience and a transfer of lessons learnt the hard way, so that barriers of success are lowered for the next generation. Merci beaucoup Green Careers Centre pour l'opportunité.”

Takeaways

Looking for more professional development opportunities to find your next green career? Check out our mentor and mentee guides to learn more about ways in which you can leverage this relationship building tool in your green career journey.

Follow the Green Career Centre on our social media pages for more updates on when our newly developed mentorship program launches.