By Gayatri Gadre

 

For over 25 years, Mentoring for Change has engaged volunteers from business communities to support

immigrants and refugees to establish themselves in Canada. After all these years, we stand by that – Mentoring matters.

 

Mentoring matters to newcomer professionals to strengthen their communication skills and find a job

in their area of expertise. With their mentor’s support, these professionals can better understand the

Canadian labour market and learn to access the hidden job market.

 

Mentoring matters to mentors who experience both the satisfaction and the joy of seeing someone

succeed thanks to them. Mentors build their own leadership and coaching skills through their

understanding of various cultures from all across the world.

 

Mentoring matters to individual companies since the professional newcomer employees enrich their

teams through fresh ideas, diversity and skills. Many companies have discovered a unique pool of talent

through mentoring programs while others, thanks to the market understanding of this freshly recruited

talent, have launched themselves into new and exciting territory.

 

Mentoring matters to communities as it fosters a sense of belonging and integration. Today, Canada is

one of the most progressive, modern countries in the world, enriched with diverse cultures which give it

a unique personality. For many of us, what makes Canada great is its openness to newcomers and ability

to make them feel at home. Mentoring enables newcomers to become valued contributors to the

Canadian economy.

 

We at Skills for Change are celebrating July as Mentoring Month. We take this opportunity to show our

appreciation for the efforts put forth by volunteer mentors over the years. Mentors are the backbone of

our mentoring program; without their support, this program couldn’t have been possible.

 

Join in on the celebration. Stay tuned to #MentoringMatters on our blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

and Instagram.