May 18, 2017 – On a warm Wednesday evening in May, the Public Affairs Association of Canada (PAAC) hosted its premier speed mentoring event in Toronto. For over two hours, 17 young professional mentees engaged 8 senior public affairs mentors through rapid one on one meetings, for 10 minutes sessions. This event was graciously hosted in the Yorkville offices of Samara, Canada’s most trusted, non-partisan champion of increased civic engagement. Overheard exchanges included career advice, work experiences, and many interesting stories.
Amina Dibe, currently enrolled in Seneca College’s Government Relations Certificate program, said: “It was a great evening and I really appreciate all the mentors for taking the time. It was a great opportunity to learn more about each mentors experience and get some good advice for people new to the government relations world. I will for sure be attending future mentoring events.”
The volunteer mentors represented a wide range of areas in public affairs, including private consulting practice, the Government of Ontario, non-for-profits, and corporations. Stella Ambler, Principal with Earnscliff, said: “What an impressive group of young people – they were intelligent, inquisitive and thoughtful. I learned a few thing myself from these future public affairs gurus at the recent PAAC event!”
The speed mentoring event was spearheaded by PAAC Board of Director, Michelle Wasylyshen who stated: “Part of PAAC’s mandate is to provide opportunities for career development in public affairs through mentorship; this event’s success was a result of our wonderful mentor volunteers. We thank them, and look forward to our next speed mentoring event, in the near future.”
