Mentorship program co-ordinators head to Norway to accept award

KAMLOOPS – This September, the Career Mentoring Program (CMP) will gain international recognition when co-ordinators Arlene Olynyk and Susan Forseille head to Oslo, Norway to accept the Conference Board of Canada’s Silver Global Best Award for Innovative and Creative Partnerships for the North America region.

The award, which was selected by an international panel of judges, will be presented at the Global Best Awards, a bi-annual event that celebrates outstanding and effective business, education and community organization partnerships that have a significant impact on the communities in which they operate.

“Being recognized internationally demonstrates that the kinds of partnerships we have built are over the top—what our career mentors are doing is not being done everywhere and people are looking to us as leaders in the field,” Olynyk said.

Over the past six years the CMP has grown from a grassroots level with 40 local mentors to generating regional, provincial, national and international partnerships to build a community of over 800 co-career educators. The purpose of the program is to enhance career development and student employability upon graduation.

To date, over 2,700 students have connected with career mentors throughout Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Australia and Africa.

“Inviting mentors to share their career advice and insight, from their personal perspectives, was the beginning of what has proven to be an exceptional education strategy with strong evidence supporting inspiring results,” Olynyk said.

Olynyk and Forseille will deliver a ‘café conversation’ at the conference where they will present the CMP to other delegates and Global Best Award winners.

“We are excited to share best practices on career mentoring and how using community partners as co-career educators immensely enriches career development for students,” Forseille said. 

“We imagined a program that would bring the expertise, passion and energy from stakeholders together to provide students with enhanced insight on the tools, experience and avenues they will personally need to showcase their skills to potential employers and that’s what we’ve been able to do.”

While on the road the pair will be hosting an alumni and friends meet-up for those living in Oslo or surrounding areas, as well as a meet-up in Reykjavic, Iceland as part of the return trip.  The first meet-up will be in Oslo at hos Thea, before the conference September 13.

Alumni and friends interested in getting together in Oslo or Reyjavic, email alumni@tru.ca for more information.