Mentorship

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question about our programs not answered below, please send us an email.

How many participants are in each program?
Each program usually has 10-15 mentors and 10-15 protégés. Return mentors and protégés sometimes participate.

When do the programs take place?
Our programs are usually offered twice a year.

What are the backgrounds of the mentors and protégés?
Our mentors and protégés come from various fields such as entrepreneurship, information technology, post-secondary, consulting, government, communications, healthcare, culinary arts, politics, and non-profit. Our mentors and protégés are also diverse in terms of their ages, genders, and backgrounds. 

We also have offered unique mentorship programs from time to time. In Summer 2019, the mentors were female, and in Fall 2020, the mentors were Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (or BIPOC).

What do participants focus on?
While some people look to mentorship for career development, our six-month program focuses on the importance of a reciprocal relationship between mentors and protégés.

Our mentors and protégés have worked on various things, such as personal growth and development, leadership, workplace challenges, career changes, building networks, questioning comfort zones, and work-life effectiveness.

What is the cost of the program?
Protégés pay between $50-$80 (sliding scale) to participate in the program, while our mentors are all volunteers who are donating their time. The funds cover program costs as we are entirely non-profit and volunteer-run.

We are also offering at least one free protégé spot per program to a community organization. If you’re interested in having your community organization participate in this way, please drop us a line.

How do the matches happen?
It is a process that starts with the program launch! Participants meet at the mentorship program launch, which takes place at a central location in Edmonton or over Zoom on a weeknight. Protégés and mentors have the opportunity to meet with all the participants at the launch, discuss what their goals are, and then choose who the best match would be for them in a speed-rotation format. At the end of the evening, mentors and protégés rank their choices, and interVivos makes the final matches in the weeks following. The match information is then emailed out to the participants.

How often do you meet with your match?
Mentors and protégés are welcome to meet as often as they would like, but we require at least three in-person or virtual meetings during the 6-month program. interVivos performs check-ins throughout the 6-month program and provides resources to assist. Some participants continue to meet and stay in touch, but that is not an expectation of interVivos.

Do we collaborate with other organizations?
Yes! In Fall 2019, we worked with the Edmonton Heritage Council to offer a program for Edmonton’s heritage sector. Send us an email if you’d like to work together.

How can I find out about the next launch?
You can check out our events page, sign up for our mailing list, and/or follow us on social media.

We are always looking for mentors. Email us to find out more.