How can we make sure that BAME creatives are offered the opportunities they deserve at the start of their careers? This is a question that should concern any platform and individual that has the means to fix the industry’s flaws. Theoretical conversations on equality and Instagram posts with graphic quotes are not enough; it is time for practical initiatives to take the stage in order to change the system from within. Mentoring Matters links up candidates from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds with mentors from different sectors of the industry and organises one-to-one video calls where the candidates can ask questions and the mentors can offer their advice and industry insight.
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The scheme is open to students but also to creatives that are not currently in further education between the ages of 18-25. Each mentor takes on 1-4 candidates for a period of 6 months at the time. The video sessions will last 30-45 minutes and will occur every two weeks. The date and time will be organised by the mentor and their mentee and will take place on the mentor’s preferred platform. Each participant will end up having 12 sessions in total.
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Mentoring matters covers a vast selection of fields from design, styling, photography, and casting to set design, marketing, journalism, and much more. The mentors include established professionals such as Max Permain, Supriya Lele, Fran Burns, and Nell Kalonji, who amongst others will contribute to an effort to make fashion an authentically diverse industry with creatives of different backgrounds working on all aspects of fashion.
How to apply:
It is very simple! The candidates have to send an email to info@mentoring-matters.co.uk with some information about themselves, why they would be a good match for the scheme, and what they hope to gain from it as well as some examples of work if they have any.
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You can find all the information about Mentoring Matters here