Mentorship knows no distance: an online career mentorship programme by Women in Geospatial+

Women in Geospatial+ is a professional network that promotes gender-equality in the geospatial industry and academia. In October 2019, Women in Geospatial+ launched an online career mentorship programme that attracted over 180 global applicants. The inaugural cohort featured 42 participants from 17 countries who were matched with mentors, mentees or peer mentors based on their career goals and time zones. 

The programme enabled mentorship between mid-career and early career participants as well as peer mentorship between people with similar career stages. People of all genders were welcome to participate in this year-long programme. As a result, two men participated as mentors. Participants were provided with a mentorship programme guide with resources for a successful mentorship experience. They were also required to discuss goals and expectations as a group and submit an agreement form at the start of the programme. A safe space via a Slack channel was created where women could interact with other women participants in the mentorship programme. In addition, a social media campaign on Twitter and LinkedIn (#MentorshipMonday) also featured programme participants, their work and their achievements in the geospatial field.

This presentation will feature lessons learned from organising the mentorship programme as well as feedback from participants about how the mentorship programme has impacted their careers and professional growth.