Determine Who Are Your Stakeholders

Even if you have narrowed the focus of your program to newcomers to Canada, you will still need to further define the focus of the mentorship program. Consider who is the focus for the next stage of your program development, whether you are expanding or just starting out. Depending on your resources and capacity, you may opt to start with a small focused group of accessible mentees and mentors and grow that reach as your program grows.

In addition, you will need to have support within your organization to administer the program and partners in your community who can help you connect to mentors and mentees.

Mentees and Mentors

Mentees and Mentors are the core of your program. Depending on your program goals and purpose, you may have a tightly defined group of mentees you are supporting or you might have a broad reach. In general, you will need to determine:

• Selection criteria for your mentors and mentees
• Where you are likely to recruit mentors and mentees
• What they are hoping to gain from the program
• What kind of training and support they need

Although each of these elements is similar for mentors and mentees, they will not be the same. Consider how to address each of these for both groups of participants.

Program Administrators

It takes time to administer and pay for the program. You will also need resources for your participants. While you may not require someone to manage the program full time, someone in your organization needs to be responsible for program administration. The required roles and responsibilities will vary according to the size or length of your program.

While you plan your program, consider these elements you will need to administer:

• Budget and funding
• Recruiting and screening participants
• Training participants
• Program implementation and maintenance
• Connecting with community partners
• Evaluating and monitoring the program

Community Partners

There may be other organizations or businesses that are interested in participating in your mentorship program. They may benefit from this partnership in training for current or potential employees, in cross support for their own programs, or because their purposes align with yours. Community partners may not be necessary for your program, but they can be helpful for you on several fronts.

Your mentorship program can benefit from community partners who provide:

• Sources to recruit mentors and mentees
• Networking or potential jobs for your mentees
• Additional services or programs to your participants

Partner businesses can benefit from:

• Building a diverse workforce
• Recruiting new employees who are better prepared for work
• Encouraging current employees to be mentors to develop leadership skills

Partner organizations can benefit from:

• Sending clients to your program as mentors or mentees
• Providing additional services or programs to your participants

Champions

Any program could use those people who really believe in it. Their passion and belief that the mentorship program could make a difference are persuasive and contagious. You will find these champions in any of your stakeholders:

• Mentors and mentees who had a great experience and recommend the experience
• People within a business or organization who see positive change for their clients or employees
• Members of your organization who can see how the program will fill a gap or solve a challenge

Wherever they come from, you need to engage your champions in sharing your program with others. They can be an invaluable part of your success.