UBC Reports | Vol. 51 | No. 6 | Jun. 2, 2005

Arts Faculty Launches Tri-Mentorship

By Brenda Austin

Andrea Burgoyne, a theatre major participating in the Faculty of Arts tri-mentorship program, enjoyed her experience at the Granville Island Arts Club where she was paired with Stephanie Hargreaves, a UBC alumna, now working as the Artist Liaison.

“Stephanie gave me opportunities to work in new environments with professionals in the field,” says Burgoyne. “I learned there are many roles to be filled in the industry, so my vision of theatre as a career became a reality.”

The Faculty of Arts tri-mentorship program, launched this year, matches a professional with a third- or fourth-year student to support career and life planning after graduation. In turn, the student is matched with a first-year student, from the Arts One or Foundations programs, to support the student’s academic career path.

Burgoyne met her first year student, Marshall McMahen, at the tri-mentoring launch October 2004. They met a few times over the course of the term, toured the Arts Club together and attended one of each other’s theatrical events.

Burgoyne shared her knowledge about the courses she had taken over three years at UBC, and learned from McMahen what it was like for someone else coming to the university for the first time.

Hargreaves attended the tri-mentoring launch too, and although she had hired summer interns before did not have a clear idea of the procedure for mentoring.

“I followed the best course I could to expose Andrea to the Arts Club,” she says. “She was here five or six times on several projects. She helped with a workshop for a new play at the ReAct Festival on Granville Island and had a stage management role for a show at World Theatre Day at the Waterfront Theatre.”

“She asked questions,” says Hargreaves, “and I gave her some jobs I thought she was suited for, and some jobs that I needed completed, such as archiving. Andrea is a born stage manager.”

The experience worked well for all three and they were asked to present their opinions on the program at the March 2005 wrap-up session attended by the other 19 triads of arts alumni, senior and junior student mentoring participants.

The Arts Co-op Students’ Association runs another excellent mentorship program. It is a completely student-run peer-mentorship program through which senior co-op students support new co-op students in their job search with advice and suggestions. This ongoing program attracts 50-70 pairs each year.

The tri-mentorship program will continue in the 2005-06 year.