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 working together to deliver a FREE, seven-month mentorship program for artist entrepreneurs; arts and culture professionals; creative businesses; and arts, culture and heritage organizations based in Brampton.
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 have 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 and have been matched with an experienced professional mentor for one-on-one mentorship. Eight mentees are participating in the 2024–2025 program, which will run until April 16, 2025.
For more details about the program, please consult the Program FAQ [PDF] and Program Overview and Session Schedule [PDF]. You can also watch a recording of the information session with Work in Culture’s Stephanie Draker.
For additional questions, please contact Stephanie Draker, Program Manager at [email protected].
Meet the Expert Workshop Series
Grow your creative career with expert advice on marketing, funding, and expanding a creative business in Brampton.
BAO and WIC are pleased to present a series of free virtual workshops for Brampton artist entrepreneurs, creative businesses, and arts organizations as part of the 2024–2025 Mentorship Program.
Each workshop is inspired by a specific strategic business planning, creative business, or entrepreneurial challenge identified by mentees participating in the program, and will be led by a subject matter expert from the arts and culture sector.
These workshops are open to the wider Brampton creative community as well as program participants (mentors and mentees) and will be recorded to help support community knowledge sharing.
Meet the Expert in Marketing
Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Heather Kelly, Founder, HKC Marketing and Owner/Director, Akimbo Art Promotions
In this workshop, Heather Kelly will guide participants through the essential questions to answer during the development of a marketing plan. You will be asked at registration what your top three arts marketing questions or topics are, and the rest of the workshop will address these questions and topics. The workshop will end with open Q&A time. Register here.
Meet the Expert in Securing Funding
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Vanessa Burns, Grant Professional and Difference Maker
In this workshop, Vanessa Burns will discuss funding opportunities for arts-based organizations, how to craft compelling grant applications and proposals, and strategies for long-term funder relationships and financial sustainability. Register here.
Meet the Expert in Balancing Art and Entrepreneurship
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET
Location: Zoom
Facilitator: Tasha Schumann, Multidisciplinary Artist, Writer, and Creativity Coach
In this workshop, Tasha Schumann will introduce the Creative Launch Cycle—a powerful framework for navigating the rhythm between making art and sharing it with the world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist, musician, writer, or creative entrepreneur, this workshop will give you the tools to build momentum, expand your reach, and sustain your creative practice—on your own terms. Register here.
Accessibility: If you need assistance or support to participate such as an ASL interpreter, please get in touch with us at [email protected] as soon as possible (minimum of three days in advance) so that we can make the necessary accommodations.
Mentorship Program Activities and Schedule
The 2024–2025 BAO x WIC Mentorship 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 in the Program FAQ [PDF].
A brief overview of the program schedule is available below. 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
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]