Share the Wealth — Be a Mentor
When completing a major project, I always like to take time as I wrap up to reflect on the process. Having just completed six years on the Access Copyright board made me think back to my early days as a fledgling board member when my knowledge of copyright was minimal, but my enthusiasm was high and my desire to learn, strong.
Thanks goodness for mentors! I had three outstanding mentors in my first years on the AC board. Guenther Krueger from the Professional Writers Assn of Canada, Bruno Beauregard of the Canadian Assn of Photographers & Illustrators in Communications and Chris Moore of The Writers Union of Canada. Chris remains active in copyright reform via the Creators Copyright Coalition. For more, see: http://www.creatorscopyright.ca.
Alison Gardner and me in Richmond, BC, at the TMAC conference.
I was also fortunate to have an incredible mentor as I made the switch from corporate communications to magazine writing — and eventually, travel writing. Alison Gardner is an amazing writer and editor who now devotes her talents to exciting travel off the beaten path for the 50+. Visit her website at: http://www.travelwithachallenge.com
I have had the pleasure of being mentored and eventually mentoring several writers through the Professional Writers Assn of Canada. Although PWAC now operates under limited funding and cannot offer the Cadillac version of the mentorship of days gone by, it still does offer a valuable, but more informal, mentorship program in which I am currently engaged as a mentor. See: http://www.pwac.ca for more information about PWAC.
Organizations such as Toastmasters International thrive on their mentorship program. Every speaker needs to be evaluated and mentored, and eventually, every good speaker should become a mentor and help new members along. Toastmasters would not be the strong organization it is today, with more than 250,000 members worldwide, without the continual cycle of mentoring to make each member — and ultimately the organization — strong. I have been mentored by some of the best speakers Manitoba has to offer, and I try to “give back” by mentoring any new member who makes the request of me. For more about TM, see:
It is my belief that knowledge is a wealth, and like financial wealth, it does you or the world no good if not freely and happily shared. So make someone’s day and become their mentor.
Being a mentor and the art of mentorship is so important to me. If you have knowledge, share it freely.