Mentoring Marathon - CultureLink Mentorship Program celebrates 25 years of helping newcomers
TORONTO, June 24, 2013 /CNW/ - CultureLink Settlement Services is marking the 25th anniversary of its Mentorship Program Tuesday with a "marathon" involving 120 volunteer mentors and mentees. Newcomer professionals will spend 150 minutes with mentors from similar fields to gain useful tips on job search, continuing education, networking and more.
"Everyone knows networking is important, but without organized support like the mentoring services from CultureLink, I would have found it very difficult," says Ranjit Bhaskar, a journalist from India who immigrated recently.
Manuel Rodriguez knows firsthand the benefits of mentorship. As a refugee youth 23 years ago, he went to CultureLink, volunteered with the organization and developed a mentoring relationship with a member of CultureLink's Board of Directors. Now a successful entrepreneur, CEO and a founding partner of Unikron Inc., Rodriguez has been a CultureLink mentor since 2010. "Mentoring newcomers is a great way to help them navigate a new career and a new community," he says. Both Bhaskar and Rodriguez will be part of Tuesday's event.
CultureLink's Mentorship Program, previously known as the Host Program, is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and has served tens of thousands of newcomers since 1988. Today, CultureLink matches more than 500 newcomers annually in long-term mentoring relationships, and also hosts one-off mentoring and networking events. The program helps newcomers to develop their careers while promoting citizenship awareness and civic engagement.
Tuesday June 25, 6-8:30pm
Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street
Elizabeth Beeton Auditorium
PHOTO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
SOURCE: CultureLink Settlement Services
Fei Tang, Mentorship Program Manager, CultureLink
416-588-6288 x217 or 647-205-6715 [email protected]
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