Mentorship Program for Brampton Artist Entrepreneurs, Creative Businesses, and Arts, Culture & Heritage Organizations (2024–2025)
The Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) and Work in Culture (WIC) are offering a FREE, seven-month mentorship program for artist entrepreneurs; arts and culture professionals; creative businesses; and arts, culture and heritage organizations based in Brampton, starting in fall 2024.
This intensive, longer-term mentoring experience will help mentees achieve short-term goals, plan for longer-term objectives, and set themselves up with the guidance, skills and resources they need for success.
Mentees will come to the program with a strategic business planning and/or creative business or entrepreneurial challenge or idea that they would like to try to solve through one-on-one mentorship with an experienced professional mentor.
Mentees will be matched with a personal mentor for the duration of the program. Mentors will be subject matter experts and arts leaders sourced from across the arts and culture sector based on their ability to speak to the challenges and ideas specified by the mentees.
Applications for this program are now closed.
Interested participants (mentees) must apply to participate in this program. Mentees will be selected through a juried process led by a selection committee and matched with a mentor. Participants must be based in the Brampton area and meet the eligibility criteria detailed below. Eight (8) mentees will be accepted into the 2024–2025 program.
You can watch this recording by WIC’s Stephanie Draker for an overview of the program.
Please consult the program details and documents below for more information and to ensure this program is right for you. For additional questions, please contact Stephanie Draker, Program Manager at [email protected] or Naomi Stokes, Project Support Assistant at [email protected].
Key Program Dates and Details
Applications open: August 7, 2024
Applications close: September 9, 2024
This is a free program. There is no fee to apply or to participate.
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee. Eight mentees will be accepted into the 2024–2025 program.
Priority will be given to applicants from (or that center work by) equity-deserving groups, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Nonbinary, Queer, Disabled and intersections of those identities.
Applicants will be notified of the results by the week of September 16, 2024.
Upon approval of a mentorship application, mentees will be matched with a mentor who can help with the challenges and goals they have identified for the duration of the program. Participating mentees will be matched with their mentor between September 16 and October 18, 2024.
An honorarium of up to $750 will be paid to mentees that participate in a minimum of 75% of program activities to help cover any costs associated with attending in-person and virtual sessions and accessing the resources provided.
Program activities will start on October 23, 2024 and run until April 16, 2025.
Read more about the program details in the Program FAQ [PDF].
Eligibility
This program is open to Brampton-based:
- artists of any discipline/career level
- arts, culture and heritage organizations/departments/representatives (non-profit and for-profit)
- individual arts administrators at any career level (currently working with an arts and culture organization or not)
- arts/creative professionals at any career level
Application is required. When applying, interested participants (mentees) must provide details about a strategic business planning and/or creative business or entrepreneurial challenge that they would like to try to solve through peer, group, and 1:1 mentorship.
Participants (mentees) must commit to the entire program, and are expected to attend all 3 in-person co-learning workshops and to book and attend meetings with their mentor (up to 6 hours of 1:1 mentorship time).
Note: Attendance at the 3 virtual “Meet the Experts” workshops is optional but strongly encouraged for participants (mentees), as these workshops will be tailored to mentees’ learning goals and are intended to help them find solutions to the challenges or ideas they bring to the program.
Read more about who is eligible to apply, the application process, and expected time commitment, in the Program FAQ [PDF].
Program Activities and Schedule
This program will be delivered through:
- 3 in-person co-learning workshops held in downtown Brampton. Mentees will learn about best practices for mentorship and how to get the most out of their mentoring experience, plus have the chance to network with fellow mentees and mentors. Open to program participants (mentors and mentees) only.
- 6 hours of one-on-one (1:1) mentorship time, scheduled according to the mentee and mentor’s preferred format and availability. Mentees can access up to 2 hours of 1:1 meeting time with their mentor in between each co-learning workshop (for a total of 6 hours over the program duration) to receive personalized guidance on their specific challenge or idea.
- 3 virtual “Meet the Experts” workshops held by Zoom. Workshop topics and speakers will be based on priority challenges identified by participating mentees. Mentees will learn more about the challenges they would like to solve and local resources and supports in Brampton. Open to program participants (mentors and mentees) and the public.
Read more about the program activities and the benefits of participating in the Program FAQ [PDF].
A brief overview of the program schedule is available below. Note: some details are still to be confirmed and/or may be adjusted according to who applies.
Download and review the full program schedule with session details here: Program Overview and Session Schedule [PDF]
Mid-September to early October 2024 – Mentee-and-Mentor Matching Process
Location: Virtual
Time: Varies
October 23, 2024 – Kick-Off Mentorship Workshop
Location: In-person at BAO in downtown Brampton
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
November to December 2024 – Mentoring 1:1 Meetings (1/3)
Location: In-person or virtual
Time: Varies
November 20, 2024 – Meet the Experts Workshop 1
Location: Virtual
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
January 2025 – Mentoring 1:1 Meetings (2/3)
Location: In-person or virtual
Time: Varies
January 22, 2025 – Meet the Experts Workshop 2
Location: Virtual
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
February 12, 2025 – Mid-point Mentorship Workshop
Location: In-person at BAO in downtown Brampton
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
March 2025 – Mentoring 1:1 Meetings (3/3)
Location: In-person or virtual
Time: Varies
March 19, 2025 – Meet the Experts Workshop 3
Location: Virtual
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
April 16, 2025 – Close-out Mentorship Workshop and Celebration
Location: In-person at BAO in downtown Brampton
Time: 6:00–8:00 pm ET
How to Apply
Applications for this program are now closed.
Applicants will be notified of the results by the week of September 16, 2024.
If you have any questions about the program or your application, or require additional assistance, please contact Stephanie Draker, Program Manager at [email protected] or Naomi Stokes, Project Support Assistant at [email protected].
Programming Partners
The Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) is a registered non-profit that champions Brampton’s diverse arts, culture and creative industries and advocates for the #BramptonArtist. They work to build a thriving, confident, valued, and empowered creative scene by offering a range of programs, services and resources. In this, BAO is a key partner in fulfilling the City of Brampton’s strategic vision and Culture Master Plan.
Work in Culture (WIC) is a non-profit arts service organization that has been serving the cultural sector since 1998. Our mission is to advance the careers of artists, creatives, and cultural workers from diverse lived experiences, and support the organizations that engage them, through entrepreneurial and business skills development and innovative research.
For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Draker
Program Manager
Work in Culture
[email protected]
Naomi Stokes
Project Support Assistant
Work in Culture
[email protected]