For ventures working to build a peaceful world, the path from bold idea to sustainable impact is rarely a straight line. It takes experimentation, resilience, and often a conversation with someone who’s been there before. That’s why mentorship has always been a cornerstone of the Grebel Peace Incubator program at the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement.
The incubator supports peace-related start-ups through coaching, training, and seed funding, helping them test their ideas and build capacity to create systemic change. But as any founder will tell you, having access to the right people who understand your mission and can help you move it forward is just as important as funding or strategy. To meet that need more intentionally, the Centre for Peace Advancement has a Mentorship Circle for the Grebel Peace Incubator participants. This group of trusted advisors gathers each month to offer guidance to incubator participants and distribute micro-grants from the Peace Incubator Fund. While many founders and researchers throughout the Centre’s extended network continue to offer support informally, the Mentorship Circle brings a more structured layer of community to the process.
This term, the Centre is excited to welcome two new Mentors to the circle, bringing deep experience in community development, social finance, and impact-driven leadership.
Sean Campbell is the Executive Director of Union Co-operative, a community-led initiative that buys and builds affordable housing in the Waterloo Region. He’s also the Principal of Scaled Purpose, a consultancy that supports non-profits, charities, and co-operatives across Canada. In addition, alongside his role as an instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University, Sean serves as a director at the Canadian Co-operative Investment Fund and is pursuing his PhD at the University of Waterloo, where he researches how community organizations govern themselves and fund their work. His connection to the Centre comes full circle; Union Co-operative was a member of the Grebel Peace Incubator from 2020-23.
Kate Pearce brings a collaborative spirit and a people-first approach to her work as Manager of Social Impact at Kindred Credit Union. Whether she’s building partnerships, managing events, or facilitating community engagement, her focus is always on helping people feel connected, empowered, and supported. Kate’s career spans sectors, from post-secondary to non-profit to corporate, and she holds degrees from Acadia University and the University of Waterloo. She continues to grow through learning with and from those around her like her colleagues, community leaders, friends, and neighbours alike.
Together, Sean and Kate expand the circle of support surrounding Grebel Peace Incubator ventures. With their insights and lived experience, they will help founders think bigger, navigate roadblocks, and stay grounded in the values that brought them to this work in the first place.
If you and your team are curious about the Grebel Peace Incubator and participating in the Centre for Peace Advancement’s values driven culture, you can submit an expression of interest. Our team always seeks to connect founders with whichever programs and supports might fit where they are at. After all, no one builds peace alone.