Spotlight on Grow to Lead
Have you ever had a mentor who, by sharing their advice, insights, and professional/life experiences, gently guided you along the path to help you get to where you wanted to be? Or, have you ever been a mentor to someone and felt the pride that comes with watching them reach their goals (while also learning a thing or two from your mentee along the way)? It’s these connections that can really make a difference in your life. And forging these connections is what the Grow to Lead Mentorship Program is all about.
The program, which kicked off in 2021, pairs leaders in the business community with leaders in the arts community to work together to build and strengthen skills in a variety of areas (everything from communications and fundraising to strategic planning), with the ultimate goal of helping strengthen the local arts sector. (Click here and here to read about the experiences of past participants.)
After a successful run in 2021-2022, Business & Arts NL is launching the next round of the program, which will see mentorship pairs work together from February to November 2023. The key to its success, says Program Coordinator Lynn Panting, lies in its targeted approach, focusing on participants’ individual circumstances and connecting them with the right mentor who can help address those needs.
"Business & Arts NL believes that the best way we can serve these leaders is to connect them to meaningful individual guidance. We help participants identify their specific area of interest or need, and match them with someone who can take the time to learn about their specific situation, guide them, and connect them to other individuals and opportunities within the community,” Panting says.
Diana Daly (mentee) and Geoff Davis (mentor) are one of the mentorship pairs who worked together during the Grow to Lead program.
"In the first iteration of this program, we matched leaders from both communities across the province. Participants from the arts sector run arts service organizations, festivals, and artist-run centres, and mentors from the private sector are CEOs of social enterprises and venture capital firms, and members of other professions including journalism, human resources, and tourism and hospitality.”
Nancy Dahn (mentee) and Connie Boland (mentor) also worked together during the first round of the Grow to Lead program.
A previous participant of the program says it “has increased my understanding of best practices for working with a non-profit board exponentially! The one-on-one mentorship has been invaluable in working through problems and coming up with creative solutions to my particular board relations and governance.”
Business & Arts NL is currently seeking five mentorship pairs to participate in the Grow to Lead program (in recognition of this important work, each participant (mentor and mentee) will receive an honorarium of $1,500).
If you are an artist or arts administrator with a minimum of three years of experience in a leadership position, and would like to apply to be a mentee, please click here.
If you are in a leadership position in the private sector with at least eight years of experience, and would like to apply to be a mentor, please click here.
The deadline to apply for the program is January 31, 2023.