On this page you learn what mentoring is and why it’s important.
What is mentoring and who is a mentor?
Mentoring is a supportive and caring relationship between a mentee – someone who is looking for advice and guidance – and a mentor – someone who has wisdom and experience to share.
Your mentor will be your trusted advisor, guide and friend – someone who you can turn to when you are looking for a path forward. Ideally a mentor is someone who is at arms-length and not an authority figure so that they can provide objective advice without judgement.
What mentoring is and is not
Here’s what you should – and should not – expect from your mentor.
Reasons to have a mentor and what you can gain
Mentors are important at every stage in life, but research has shown that having a mentor during important life-transitions, like the transition out of high school or into a professional training program, is especially impactful. Here’s how a mentor can help:
- A mentor can help you stay on track during this time, since they have been there before.
- Mentors can provide career and educational advice, and share wisdom about “adulting”, dealing with setbacks and challenges, building soft-skills, motivation and goal setting.
- Your mentor will provide advice that’s personalized to your situation and will be your personal cheerleader.
- You can confidentially share anything with your mentor without any fear of consequences, judgement, or bias.
So, you have absolutely NOTHING TO LOSE – and everything to gain – by having a mentor
Mentoring at ReMBC
Learn more about our motivations behind the program.
What’s the point
Video: What’s the point of this program?
Why are our mentors students?
Who better to give advice to students than other students? Our mentors are your “near-peers”, which means they are a couple years ahead of you in school. That means that they understand what you are going through and can provide advice and information that is up-to-date and accurate. Best of all, they are not an authority figure, like a teacher, parent, coach or work-supervisor, so your relationship with them will be low-stakes and low-pressure. Think of your mentor as a pen-pal who is a few years older than you.
Why rural?
We know that rural living can mean travelling long distances to visit colleges and universities, so it can be hard to understand what these places are like. That’s why we bring the college and university experience to YOU by connecting you with mentors who are current college and university students throughout BC. Get your questions answered, along with the personalized advice and information you need, without ever leaving your town – or even your couch!