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Mentorship That Moves Canada Forward: Key Insights from the 2025 Canadian Mentoring Summit

  • Writer: Chantal Brine
    Chantal Brine
  • Dec 11
  • 5 min read

December 11, 2025

In November, more than 250 leaders, practitioners, researchers, employers, educators, and youth-serving professionals gathered for Canada’s first national Mentoring Summit, hosted by Mentor Canada.

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And while 250 people is impressive, it represents only a fraction of those across the country who build, deliver, support, or benefit from mentorship every day.


But one message echoed clearly through the event: Mentorship is one of our most powerful levers for building an inclusive, economically vibrant Canada.

This article shares key insights, research highlights, quotable takeaways, and practical tools that emerged from the Summit — all intended to support leaders, employers, and educators working to strengthen mentorship within their organizations and communities.


As a team deeply committed to building Canada’s mentorship capacity, EnPoint was proud to be part of the conversation.

1. Setting the Tone: Mentorship Is Exciting — and a Shared Responsibility


The Summit opened with an Elder’s teaching reminding us that mentorship is fundamentally communal: “It’s about sharing, and about encouraging people to take on their responsibility to help others.”


But then something unusual happened — two dancers performed a high-energy routine to a song about mentorship. It set the tone instantly: connection, energy, movement, purpose.

Daniel, the Summit’s emcee, invited us to:

✨ Shake off what no longer serves us ✨ Reconnect with our “why” — the purpose behind our work ✨ Remember that relationships are the currency of growth ✨ Recognize that we bring energy into every space we enter


It was a powerful reminder: Mentorship is joy, responsibility, and shared work.

2. Mentorship in Canada Today: What the Research Says

Mentor Canada’s newest national study, Unlocking Doors, engaged 3,000+ young adults — particularly racialized youth — to understand access to mentorship in Canada.

Key findings:


  • 1 in 3 racialized youth still do not have a mentor

  • Mentorship significantly boosts career readiness and well-being

  • Youth define success holistically, not just through jobs

  • Many seek mentorship for career guidance, but stay for emotional support

  • Shared identity sometimes helps, but shared values and goals often matter more

  • Mentorship is especially powerful during life transitions


This research reinforces what many of us know intuitively: Mentorship is not just supportive — it is structural. It shapes access to networks, opportunities, and confidence

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3. Matching Is Complex — And We Need to Ask, Not Assume

In our work at EnPoint, we often hear assumptions like:


  • “Mentees want mentors in the same field.”

  • “People want mentors with similar lived experiences.”

  • “Matches should be based on identity first.”


But the Summit echoed what the research shows:

Effective matching starts with understanding, not assumptions.

Mentees care most about:


  • Their goals for the relationship

  • The mentor’s listening skills

  • Values alignment

  • Supportive communication


For organizations designing mentorship programs, this message is critical.

Further reading: 🔗 How to Make the Best Mentorship Matches https://www.getenpoint.com/post/how-to-make-the-best-mentorship-matches-an-overview

4. Sponsorship: A Growing Need in Mentorship Programs

A powerful theme across the Summit:

Mentorship opens minds; sponsorship opens doors.

Sponsorship — when a mentor advocates for, refers, or promotes a young person — is especially crucial for:


  • Racialized and newcomer youth

  • Women in male-dominated sectors

  • 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals

  • Youth with limited professional networks


This aligns with our work at EnPoint supporting organizations to design both mentorship and sponsorship structures. Further reading: 🔗 Mentorship & Sponsorship — Why Both Matter https://www.getenpoint.com/post/mentorship-sponsorship-1

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5. Mentorship and Employment

Across sessions, employers described a shifting landscape:


What they’re seeing:


  • Youth struggling with receiving feedback

  • Difficulty articulating strengths in interviews

  • Early attrition due to confidence gaps

  • AI-driven hiring creating new barriers


A question that landed heavily:

If young people can’t succeed in your interview process… what has your organization changed?

Why mentorship matters for employment

6. Quality Mentoring: New Approaches and Tools

Mentor Canada unveiled its Quality Mentoring Framework, a national tool for raising the standard of mentoring in Canada. 🔗 https://qualitymentoring.ca/en


Top takeaways:


  • Focus on principles, not rigid best practices

  • Invest in program infrastructure

  • Be youth-centered and purpose-driven

  • Prioritize continuous improvement

  • Above all: Do less, better


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7. Case Studies: Mentorship Models That Work

The Mentorship and Resilience Project (MRP)

Led by Dr. Cecilia Bukutu, MRP offers a compelling model for Black and immigrant youth:


  • Intentional matching

  • High-touch check-ins

  • Resilience workshops

  • Identity-affirming programming

  • Social capital development


This project shows what culturally responsive mentorship can achieve. Learn more: 🔗 https://concordia.ab.ca/student-services/mentorship-and-resilience-program

Mentorability

Short, structured mentorship moments (1 hour to 1 day) supporting:


  • Career exploration

  • Organizational exposure

  • Early skill-building


Alberta Mentoring Partnership

A powerful example of 20+ years of sustained public investment in mentorship.

8. Cross-Sector Partnerships: Building a Mentorship Ecosystem

Themes that emerged:


  • Partnerships create hope

  • Co-creation accelerates innovation

  • Staff well-being impacts mentorship outcomes

  • Small consistent actions compound


The Summit’s tone was clear: Mentorship is ecosystem work — not one-off programs.

9. Resources to Explore



10. What This Means for EnPoint and the Organizations We Serve

A message that stayed with me:

Mentorship isn’t a program — it’s a strategy for national prosperity.

Organizations across Canada are navigating:


  • Workforce transitions

  • Youth employment pressures

  • Belonging and retention challenges

  • Rapid labour-market change


Mentorship remains one of our most human, most effective tools. At EnPoint, we help organizations design mentorship models that are:


  • Intentional

  • Equitable

  • Relationship-centered

  • Outcome-driven


The future of mentorship in Canada depends on partnerships — and we’re ready to build them.


11. A Call to Action

If you weren’t at the Summit, the movement still needs you. If you believe — as we do — that mentorship builds a stronger, more inclusive, more prosperous Canada, then consider:


  • Getting involved with Mentor Canada

  • Volunteering with organizations like the YMCA, Nova Scotia Works, or local nonprofits

  • Partnering with your post-secondary institution

  • Connecting with EnPoint to build or strengthen a mentorship program


Mentorship doesn’t require perfection — only presence. And Canada needs more people willing to show up.

12. Quotable Insights from the Summit

Use these in your own communications or programming:


  • “Mentorship isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being present.”

  • “There is no impact story that is a solo act.”

  • “Ask, don’t assume.”

  • “Do less, better.”

  • “Navigational capital helps people thrive in spaces not designed for them.”

  • “Sponsorship opens doors mentorship alone cannot.”

  • “Mentoring is like tending a fire — with patience, both people stay warm.”


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