Grow: West Midlands Mentoring for the Cultural Sector
MENTOR CALLOUT
Join Culture Central to support colleagues working across the cultural sector in the West Midlands to ensure that we have a dynamic, resilient, equitable and inclusive sector. We are looking for people interested in developing their mentoring skills, as well as experienced mentors who would like to take an active role in supporting the cultural sector to change, learn and grow.
We are relaunching our mentoring programme, developed as part of the ‘Culture Response Unit’ and have refined our offer, training and support for mentors and mentees. Grow, is our updated regional mentoring scheme that works across art forms, skills and experience levels and we are looking for new mentors to join us in supporting the whole ecology of the cultural sector.
We are looking for mentors that are:
Keen to support mentees from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences
Can identify up to three areas of focus for their mentoring offer, which could be related to a particular art form, skill or experience.
Would like to receive support and short training on how to develop and embed their mentoring approach
Able to commit to six mentoring sessions
In a sector that often relies on ‘who you know’ rather than ‘what’ you know, ‘Grow’ connects those working in the cultural sector across the West Midlands with expert knowledge and skills to support the development of the whole ecology of culture for the benefit of the people and places of the West Midlands.
We are running two information sessions for ‘Grow’ on the following dates. These sessions will introduce you to Grow, and will include practical tips and activities to develop your mentoring approach:
Cultural Sector Professionals Session:
Wednesday 29th November
4:00 - 5:30pm - Online
Private, Public & Third Sector Professionals Session:
Thursday 30th November
5:00 - 6:30pm - Online
Why become a mentor as part of Grow?
To make a meaningful impact - by sharing your expertise, knowledge and experience you can help mentees navigate challenges and unlock their full potential.
To foster professional growth, mentors often find that the experience enhances their leadership and communication skills, expands their networks, and keeps them engaged with fresh perspectives.
To make the sector a more equitable place; mentors play a pivotal role in fostering inclusivity, offering guidance and contributing to a more diverse creative community.
Build lasting connections that can extend beyond the mentoring relationship and lead to collaborations, partnerships, and friendships.
Actively shape the future of the cultural sector; a mentor’s guidance can influence trends, innovations, and the overall direction of the sector.
A flexible commitment to support the sector, your mentoring offer could take various formats such as one- on-one meetings, group discussions, workshops, or online interactions
Recognition and exposure, as Culture Central develops Grow, we want to profile and acknowledge the valuable contributions that our mentors make; including features on our website, newsletters, and social media; as well as being included in CVs as a skill.
Join a community of mentors - Mentors will become part of a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about nurturing the next generation of cultural leaders, supported and developed by Culture Central.
For personal fulfilment, many mentors get a sense of personal satisfaction and reward that comes from witnessing mentees' growth and achievements, knowing they played a crucial role in those successes.