Cultivating Talent: A Mentorship Collective is a mentorship program focused on supporting the personal and professional growth, and development of employees that identify as Black, Indigenous, Racialized, or any combination of these identities. The program is grounded on a collaborative, peer-based mentorship model that focuses on mutual mentorship. This model understands mentorship as the mutual reciprocity of being mentored and mentoring. When peer or near-peer colleagues come together, they create a powerful space to reflect, co-develop, share knowledge, and explore in an atmosphere of trust, collaboration, curiosity and cooperation.
The Cultivating Talent: A Mentorship Collective program is a five-day, in-person, intensive cohort-based experience. In this multi-day development experience, a cohort of employees will begin a journey of self-reflection, community building and personal and professional development. Participants will be given the tools and resources to support their development and will have access to a diverse network of leaders and peers. By the end of the program, participants will develop a personal and professional development plan that will support them as they continue to learn, grow, and develop in their careers at the University of Waterloo.
Read how the fall 2023 offering of this program empowered growth for Waterloo staff.
Spring 2026 offering:
The Cultivating Talent: A Mentorship Collective program is specifically designed for employees who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Racialized. The focus on Black, Indigenous and other Racialized employees is a direct response to PART recommendations 56 and 57 geared towards embedding anti-racism into mentorship and employment advancement opportunities at the University of Waterloo.
Program Dates:
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026
The program aims to:
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Cultivate relationships across the University of Waterloo by promoting life-long learning through personal and professional development.
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Facilitate opportunities to network with University of Waterloo employees representing all levels of the institution.
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Support an employee's personal and professional development as they look to enhance and advance in their careers.
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Develop collaborative, cross-departmental relationships that support employees feeling engaged, curious and a sense of belonging.
2026 Keynote Speaker: Conrad Prince, Executive Director at Indigenous Youth Roots
Title: Leading Beyond Survival
Description: Conrad Prince will share a deeply personal and reflective keynote exploring leadership, identity, systems transformation, and navigating complexity as a racialized Indigenous leader. Drawing from his lived experience, including as a Sixties Scoop survivor, his work across Indigenous leadership, anti-racism, and institutional systems change, Conrad will speak honestly about the realities of leadership in environments often shaped by colonialism, polarization, and inequitable power structures.
Grounded in concepts such as Ethical Space, relational leadership, and “power to” rather than “power over,” this keynote will explore mentorship, burnout, decolonization, belonging, lateral violence, and the ongoing work of remaining connected to oneself while navigating systems that were not built for everyone to thrive within.
Through storytelling, reflection, and practical insight, participants will be invited to think more deeply about how leadership is shaped by lived experience, how we create spaces where people feel safe to grow and lead authentically, and what it means to cultivate more human, relational, and transformative leadership practices.
Information Session
An information session was held virtually on Tuesday, December 16 to share program details, feature participant experiences from the pilot, and answer questions. Watch this session's recording on the OHD resources website with your WatIAM credentials.
Application Information
Applications for the 2026 program are closed.
Contact Us:
Questions about this development opportunity can be directed to: Laura Maple (lcmaple@uwaterloo.ca).