CPRS Vancouver’s Mentorship Program gives PR practitioners a wonderful opportunity to benefit from the guidance of fellow experienced public relations professionals. Mentorship is available for all members, with opportunities for mentorships based on experience, sector, specific skills, and APR designation.
CPRS Vancouver members are invited to apply to be mentors and mentees. Applicants will then be paired to participate in a formal four-month program. The formal program requires that mentors and mentees:
Commit to the full four months of the mentoring relationship;
Attend the kick-off event and end event (dates and delivery format TBD);
Meet at least three times (virtually or by phone) throughout the program;
Report back to CPRS about the mentoring experience;
Be punctual and prepared for each meeting;
Give advance notice if a meeting must be postponed.
Mentors and mentees will be matched based on a number of factors including experience, shared career interests (industry type, organization type, job functions) and location.
General timeline:
November 8, 2023 - Registration opens.
December 10, 2023 - Application deadline.
December 2023 - Formal program mentor/mentee pairings finalized and communicated to participants via email.
January 2024 - Kick-off event (details and delivery format TBD)
January to April 2024 - Formal one-on-one mentorship program, participants must meet (virtually or by phone) at least three times
June 2024 - Wrap-up and participant feedback survey
Mentoring keeps you current: your mentee can provide insight into current education tools, trends and skills. Mentoring also allows you to exercise your own skills by applying your knowledge to assisting other professionals.
“It’s too time-consuming.” You are a busy professional and your time is precious, that’s why mentoring only requires a couple of hours of scheduled communication throughout the four-month program.
“I’ll be barraged with calls and e-mails.” Mentees are aware that the program only requires three meetings, unless otherwise agreed upon.
“I don’t have time for face-to-face meetings.” Your time is valuable and in the current climate CPRS Vancouver is making member safety and health a priority. Participants may want to meet face-to-face (following guidelines for social distancing) but are not required to do so. All meetings can be conducted virtually or by phone throughout the four-month commitment.
Mentoring allows you to give back: as a mentor, you can help shape the next generation of communications professionals and further the industry by setting standards for tomorrow’s practitioners.
Mentoring earns you APR Points: Accredited APR members earn one point/maintenance credit per year (as a professional activity).
Mentoring helps you recruit talent: being a mentor helps you tap into the hidden job market by giving you access to a pool of serious and committed PR professionals.
A.
“I don’t have time for face-to-face meetings.” Your time is valuable which is why the program only requires one face-to-face meeting and two other meetings, which do not need to be face-to-face.
Please contact Roberta Prattico, Director of Mentorship, with any comments or questions about the CPRS Vancouver Mentorship Program.
"I am new in Vancouver and the CPRS Mentorship has been an invaluable resource that helped me gain skills and confidence needed to grow in my job and the PR industry. My mentor was a great match. She was caring, organized and great at providing guidance in fields I needed to improve to go one step further in my career, such as press release writing, public speaking and building relationships with journalists. I am still in contact with my mentor and I know I can count on her whenever I need help or advice. I definitely recommend the mentorship program to all new PR practitioners."
- Klaudia
"I’ve always wanted a mentor, but didn’t know how to go about finding one. The CPRS Mentorship Program made it easy to find a mentor in my field who was really interested in guiding me. The mentor I was paired with was awesome – he had great insight and helped me gain confidence in my abilities and instincts. It also helps to share thoughts with someone outside your organization who has a fresh perspective. Though the official course of the program is over, we are still in touch and I am grateful to have this continued guidance. I would highly recommend the CPRS Mentorship program to any budding PR practitioner!"
- Justine