Programs > Mentorship
BIG MENTORSHIP ELIGIBILITY NEWS!
YOU ASKED, WE ANSWERED!!
We’re thrilled to announce a change you have been asking for! Starting with our WIA Mentorship Spring 2025 session,
former mentees will no longer have to wait two years to re-apply.
Now, the wait time has been reduced to just one year!
This update is in direct response to the feedback we’ve received from YOU! We’re listening and committed to our community.
FALL 2024 CIRCLES ARE CLOSED
WIA GLOBAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
The WIA Mentorship Program connects people of underrepresented gender identities* at all professional levels to dedicated mentors who can help them achieve the next steps in their careers.
Since its launch in 2015, the WIA Mentorship Program serves more than 500 creatives annually pairing women, nonbinary, and transgender creatives with veteran industry professionals to bolster careers and confidence. By providing high-quality, consistent learning opportunities and tools for members to advance their overall careers, WIA is actively tearing down the barriers faced by creatives of underrepresented gender identities within the industry.
The WIA Mentorship Program participants represent countries from all over the world — from Peru to Germany to South Africa — creating a truly global community of creatives and professionals.
PROGRAM CALENDAR
FALL 2024 MENTOR CIRCLES
CIRCLES POSTED: July 1-5
APPLICATIONS OPEN: July 31
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: August 16
NOTIFICATIONS SENT: September 2-6
SPRING 2025 MENTOR CIRCLES
APPLICATIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 2025
BECOME A MENTOR
Are you interested in using your talent and experience to make a difference in the WIA community? Become a mentor!
Click THIS LINK to learn more about becoming a mentor, or email us at mentorship@womeninanimation.org.
MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Global
The WIA Mentorship Program is a global initiative with mentors from Vancouver and Brazil to Turkey, Australia, and Thailand. The program has no geographic boundaries. No matter where you are in the world, you can participate as a mentor or as a mentee!
Virtual
As part of WIA’s mission of dismantling roadblocks encountered by people of underrepresented gender identities in our industries, the WIA Mentorship program is presented in a virtual format to connect more creatives from more corners of the world.
Small Circles
WIA Circles are typically composed of one mentor working with a cohort of six to ten mentees to ensure a more personalized, directly connected experience.
Duration
There are two Mentorship Program sessions per year — Spring and Fall — and each session lasts four months.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Click below to view information on the application process.
CASE STUDIES
We’ve turned the spotlight on a diverse group of mentors and mentees through our mentorship case studies, delving into the goals and outcomes for each pair.
* WIA recognizes gender is non-binary and intersects with every other aspect of identity. As an organization that advocates for gender justice, we identify people of underrepresented gender identities as women, including transgender women who are people who identify as women despite their gender assigned at birth, non-binary people, those who do not identify as exclusively male or female but may identify as both, neither, or some combination of the two, and those who are otherwise marginalized because of their gender identity.