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Mentors4teens

1:1 leadership mentoring program connecting experienced professionals with leaders from business, culture and public life, complemented by workshops and an alumni network.

Who is it for?

Mid-career professionals

About the program

Mentors4Starters is a mentoring program focused on developing leadership and entrepreneurial competencies through individual support from experienced leaders, practical workshops and an active alumni community. The aim is to help participants build a conscious career or business strategy and to organize and leverage their existing potential.

Program elements

1:1 mentoring – a series of meetings with a matched mentor (usually around 5 sessions), focused on individual goals and professional challenges.
Workshops – a cycle of expert sessions complementing the individual work, focused on building agency and responsible leadership.
Community – access to an alumni network and knowledge exchange based on a “give back” principle, supporting further development and networking.

Structure and process

The program process includes application, a recruitment interview, mentor matching, connection with the mentor and a six-month collaboration concluding with a wrap-up meeting. The mentoring relationship is flexible: the standard format foresees about 5 meetings, each lasting around 1–1.5 hours, with the number and length of sessions adjustable by agreement with the mentor.

Matching and criteria

Mentor selection is based on matching the leader’s experience to the participant’s specific goals so the mentoring provides practical, goal-oriented support. Participant selection considers factors such as professional experience, clearly defined mentoring needs, leadership ambitions and the possibility of matching an appropriate mentor from the available pool.

Who it's for

The program is aimed at professionally mature individuals at the mid-career stage—often with around 10 years of professional experience—who want to move to a higher leadership level, make a strategic pivot, or strengthen managerial and business skills. The recommended age is about 30–40, though professional maturity and readiness to engage in the development process are the key criteria.

Who the mentors are

Mentors are practitioners and leaders from diverse backgrounds: C-level executives, entrepreneurs, creators and cultural managers, representatives of administration and politics, and NGO sector experts. Their support draws on real management and business experience, enabling them to provide practical and directly useful guidance.

Benefits for participants

Focused work on specific professional and strategic challenges.
Development of leadership and entrepreneurial competencies through practical sessions with an experienced mentor.
Access to workshops that develop tools and methods for career or business planning.
Building a valuable network of contacts and opportunities for continued exchange within the alumni community.