Mentorship Program
Imagine how the experience of working with a mentor could benefit your practice.
This year-long, intensive initiative pairs artists with experienced mentors across disciplines. Building on traditional models, it fosters reciprocity, self-directed goals, and unique collaborations shaped by each mentor–mentee partnership.
2025-26 Mentorship program
Who is your dream mentor?
In Atlantic Canada, artists of all disciplines face the challenge of pursuing their practice in an under-resourced area of the country. Fostering peer-to-peer and mentor-to-mentee networks is vital to the health of arts sectors and the careers of arts professionals everywhere, but the need is especially high in New Brunswick.
Eight artists will be selected to be ArtsLink mentees for a year-long mentorship. Each mentee is carefully paired with a mentor whose experience and knowledge can enhance that of the mentee.
Mentorship candidates (mentees) will be practicing arts professionals (of varied career stages), in New Brunswick, who aspire to gain knowledge and skills to expand their current practice. Mentors can be anywhere in Canada, and have the role of advising the mentee on professional activities and discourse, offering feedback, and guiding them in a career-building process.
Mentee Application Criteria:
- Must be a member of ArtsLink NB whose primary residence is in New Brunswick.
- Must be a practising artist (at any career stage).
- Must have the time over the next year to commit three to four hours a month to this mentorship.
- Must detail how a year-long mentorship would positively impact their practice.
- Applicants do not need to have a mentor in mind, but are encouraged to make suggestions.
Timeline:
- Monday, July 28, 2025: Call out for mentees announced
- Sunday, August 24, 2025, 11:59pm: Deadline for application submission
- Friday, September 5, 2025: Mentees will hear back on the status of their application
- September, 26 2025: Mentorships begin, mentors are paid 1st installment
- March 18, 2026: 6 month progress reports submitted (by both mentor and mentee), mentors are paid second installment
- September 30, 2026: Mentorship ends, final reports and expense reports submitted
If Selected:
- Mentees will complete a pre-mentorship survey detailing their goals and expectations for the mentorship.
- Based on each survey, potential mentors will be proposed by ArtsLink.
- Mentors are contacted to determine their interest.
- Available mentors are contracted by ArtsLink NB
- Mentors and mentees will meet virtually or in person, for an average of 3 to 4 hours per month.
- At the 6-month mark, mentors and mentees will each complete a short report outlining their experience and the work they have done, the status of their goals; and comment on the successes/challenges of the mentor-mentee relationship.
- At the conclusion of the 12-month period, a final report will be submitted by both mentor and mentee to gauge the success of the mentorship program. These reports will reference the goals established at the outset.
Remuneration:
- Mentors receive a fee of $2,000 which will be disbursed in two installments to help ensure satisfactory performance throughout the program.
- A sum of $500 is available to the mentee-mentor as a discretionary fund for travel, materials, or to attend workshops together, etc. This will be given to the mentee in advance upon submission of a spending plan.
Apply:
- To apply to be a mentee, select the button below, then register and create an account.
