We’re delighted to announce that applications for our Catalyse Change 2023 Mentoring Programme are now open, ahead of our 3-day Catalyst Summit taking place this July. As a professional woman working in sustainability, we want to hear from you.
Catalyse Change’s Mentoring Programme offers the chance to inspire and help young women and non-binary people – aged 18 – 26 – to gain the clarity, skills and momentum they need to become the next generation of change agents.
We are facing a climate emergency, and the global pandemic has resulted in huge backward steps for social and gender equality.
So you could make a huge difference by being able to help inspire and support young women who are at the early stages of promising green education and careers. They already have the passion to make a difference. With your help, we want to give them the tools and confidence to drive change.
How does the programme work?
After attending the Catalyst Summit mentees are partnered with a mentor for 3 – 6 months to provide one-to-one support. This helps and empowers each mentee to:
- Move towards employment, education or training
- Identify specific goals and targets for her to work towards
- Make her own decisions about her development
- Reach out to other organisations (signposted by her mentor)
To get the most out of the programme, we ask all mentors and mentees to commit to a minimum of 2 hours per month for the sessions.
What do the mentees say?
We have had some glowing reviews from mentees on last year’s programme:
“I am able to see my goals without limitations, and reach them in a clearer way. My mentor clarified all the steps I had to take so I could stand more confidently on my path!”
“My mentor helped me recognise my strengths and weaknesses, and she emphasised the strengths every time! My mentor showed me value where I did not see much.”
Whether you’re an experienced mentor – or interested in trying it for the first time to broaden your own skills – it’s so rewarding to help those starting out in sustainability
Hear from two Catalyse Change mentors
“I’ve been mentoring with Catalyse Change for 3 years now and every mentoring experience has been rewarding in a different way. Working with the young women has been inspiring and constantly motivates me in my work to see challenges from a new perspective. As sustainability professionals it’s easy to become disillusioned with systemic change on environmental and social issues embedded into everyone’s work, but it always gives me a renewed sense of hope working through these topics with passionate and driven young people.
I am a mentor because now more than ever, we need to support young people with confidence and self-belief to be able to bring their best to everything they do. As a mentor, I’ve learnt from these young women to have hope and we need to think innovatively to find solutions to today’s global issues. I would definitely recommend mentoring through Catalyse Change to any other professional who is interested in growing their skills, supporting others and inspiring the next generation of change makers.”
Sara Telahoun, Catalyse Change mentor
“I was lucky to have a few strong female mentors who helped me early on my career journey, so it means a lot to me to be able to pay it forward and support the next generation of sustainability leaders. It’s not just one way either, the experience was powerful and enriching – and my awesome mentee inspired me too.’
Jessica Ferrow, Catalyse Change mentor
What support is provided for you?
Rhian Sherrington, an experienced Executive Career Coach and founder of Women in Sustainability Network (WINS), will run two virtual training sessions for mentors, as part of the programme.
There will then be opportunities to meet other mentors and share tools, insights and learning.
We will also provide ongoing mentor support for the duration of the programme.
How can I get involved?
If you’d like to participate in the programme, please apply HERE.
This is a voluntary programme that requires a minimum commitment of 2 hours a month for 3-6 months.
For more information, contact Traci Lewis at traci@catalysechange.com
Thanks to Bobbi O’Gilvie for image of Sara Telahoun.
