Mentor Pronto! is part of the Creative Canberra, Creative Exchange program of connecting the Arts and Business sectors through joint events and activities. The mentoring program matches business leaders and experts with members of the arts community for four weeks. It’s the first of its kind in Canberra, FREE and easy to get involved.

The mentoring partnership enables Schmooze members to share professional and personal skills and experiences, and contributes to their career growth and development.

Based on the concepts of speed-dating and matchmaking, Mentor Pronto! keeps it short and sweet, taking the stress out of networking and the hassle out of finding a mentor. The mentor-mentoree relationship can be as flexible as you like and can consist of e-mails, face-to-face meetings, phonecalls or even a day of work experience – it’s up to you. 

 Mentor Pronto! works in a six step process:

• application form is sent into Schmooze
• potential matches are short listed based on skills/experience/personality
• a networking event takes place to enable potential mentoring matches and settle on who they want to work with over four weeks
• a mentoring agreement is signed and a simple plan set down to acheive the goals
• the mentoring program takes place in a fashion that suits the participants and after four weeks we all meet again to debrief.
• at the end of the process participants send Schmooze a short summary of their outcomes, experiences and achievements.

The entire mentoring process occurs over four weeks, with participants working together towards a tangible goal. In some cases participants may have multuple mentoring partners each contributing some expertise and insight. The final stage is another fun networking night for debriefs and discussions.

Benefits For Mentorees: Mentorees can develop new contacts, be exposed to ideas from outside their industry, expand professional networks and gain an improved support base to achieve goals.

Benefits For Mentors:  Mentors will gain improved skills in listening, counselling, coaching and leadership, extend professional networks (including a network of like-minded leaders and other mentors), and gain fresh perspectives and approaches through contact with a different business sector. There is also personal satisfaction from helping people with potential to realise their goals. They also benefit from a fresh perspective on their own expertise.

Only Schmooze members can participate in this program and we provide participants with the tools for designing a great mentor-mentoree relationship including a mentoring kit, application form and mentoring partnership form.

Read about the participants and feedback of the  August /September 2008 Mentor Pronto! program here.

Another program will run in February 2009