Attendees of a Create Aspen Mentorship information session last week included massage therapists, artists, realtors, lawyers and small business owners.
The roster reads as if this group is to be the mentors in the new program, but in fact, these are the potential mentees.
About 25 participants attended the session at the Limelight Hotel, most were in their twenties and thirties and full of enthusiasm and curiosity. They asked questions like what type of mentor they might get assigned and how long the process could take.
The Create Mentorship Aspen program is the work of Aspen Next Generation, supported financially by the Rotary Club, the city council and a few individual business partners. $30,000 has been allocated for the first year of the program, which will pay the salary of part time director Mike Jahn and also be used to purchase software that will help with assigning and tracking the mentorship pairs.
“The goal of the program is to foster mutually beneficial relationships, which promote increased success and a higher level work force while creating strong generational ties that strengthen the community,” Jahn told the group of potential applicants.
If attendees decide to join the program theyare asked to pay $200 to “make sure they are serious.” They then have to fill out an online submission form that includes questions about the industries they work in, if they are looking to move industries, if they have any advice on how to grow in their current career path, as well as what boards they are a part of and what organizations they actively support.
The mentees will then be paired with established professionals who will ideally meet regularly and share knowledge and advice with their mentee, who will have specific personal goals in mind.
Megan Pelletier says she is hoping her mentor will be the spark she needs to make it as an independent massage therapist.
“Once it’s lit it’s off and running, but to get me actually like moving… that would be great,” she said. “I think I’d need someone who can be like ‘girl you can do this, let’s go!’”
Jill Winkler already owns her own business, what she needs help with is all the steps after having the good idea.
“I assumed that with a newspaper ad and a logo on my car that the phone would ring and the website would buzz but no - it takes more networking for sure,” Winkler said.
Travis Andrews says the networking alone is worth the application fee. With so many barriers to success in the valley, all connections are helpful.
“Aspen is notoriously difficult to live in, notoriously difficult to start your own business in and notoriously difficult to find long term housing,” Andrews said. “So if I can at least shortcut one of those, i.e. my own business, that’s everything.”
Matches will be made within a few weeks. Aspen Public Radio will be following up with the mentorship pairs in the coming months as the program gets underway.
