Over 100 people from 37 different countries connect for flagship Green Mentor program
On June 30, mentees and mentors from the forest sector came together for the final virtual celebration, to mark the end of the six-month Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada)/World Forestry Congress (WFC) Green Mentor program. The program was supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Korea Forest Service, and built on PLT Canada’s national Green Mentor program model.
The PLTC/WFC Green Mentor program brought together 51 mentorship pairs from 37 different countries. The Green Mentor program was launched ahead of the XV World Forestry Congress, following feedback received at the XIV World Forestry Congress from youth participants about the need for mentorship and guidance in the forest sector. This global program was the first of its kind, and attracted over 400 expressions of interest for participation.
At the final virtual celebration, PLT Canada shared the program’s results and participants joined breakout groups to discuss benefits gained from the program. Four mentees, Xufeng Zhang, Samantha Natumanya, Abdur Rahman, and Lily Tanui, presented on their experiences in the program.
This meeting was the culmination of a six-month program, during which green mentees and mentors connected every month, attended webinars and trainings, and worked on their professional and personal development. During the program, green mentees said that the top three personal development attitudes or behaviors they gained were confidence, career planning, and creating professional networks. Green mentors said their top three were motivation, giving honest and direct feedback, and creating new professional networks.
Some of the group were able to meet in person on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at the World Forestry Congress in Seoul, thanks to support from the Korea Forest Service. A speed networking event gave an opportunity for mentees and mentors to get to know each other, share their mentorship experiences and tips, and build their forest and conservation sector networks.
“Meeting some mentees and mentors at WFC Korea was my favourite experience in the entire congress! I was glad to hear how all of us had grown both personally and professionally due to the mentorship,” said Tanui.
“It was a great opportunity and quite engaging as I got to meet very motivated mentees and exchanged good ideas, as well as networked well with mentors to increase our scope and interests in science,” said Dr. Jesse Owino, a green mentor.
Building a skilled and engaged generation of forest sector employees through mentorship
In addition to building capacity and providing guidance to young professionals, mentorship is an important tool to recruit and retain a diverse, resilient, and skilled forest sector workforce. In fact, 88% of the PLT Canada/WFC Green Mentor participants felt inspired to work or continue working in the forest and related sectors because of the program. In addition, 93% of mentees reported that they landed a job or advanced in their career because of their mentor.
On the mentorship program, Peter Csoka, the Associate Secretary-General of the XV World Forestry Congress, noted, ‘FAO, Project Learning Tree Canada, and the Korea Forest Service were able to bring together a vibrant youth and professional community interested in sharing knowledge and growing capacity, and engaging youth in opportunities in the sector.’
“This was the first time we used the PLT Canada Green Mentor platform and applied it to a global context. The results were remarkable, and all of the mentees and mentors polled indicated they would recommend the program,’ said Jess Kaknevicius, VP of Education for PLT Canada and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Learn more about PLT Canada’s Green Mentor Program here.