Women in Animation (WIA) is teaming up with Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation, and Rise Up Animation for its 2021 Spring Mentorship Program in order to “directly advance career opportunities for women of color in the animation industry.” According to a press release, the program will begin accepting mentee applications March 31. “While applicants are not limited to people of color, they are strongly encouraged to apply.”
Part of WIA’s goal of reaching 50/50 by 2025, the Mentorship Program “connects women and gender non-binary individuals at all levels and across a variety of industry roles to great mentors who can help them achieve their career goals through guidance on taking the next steps on their professional paths.”
Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation, and Rise Up Animation each recruited and referred mentors from their own networks to participate.
WIA Mentor Circles sees an industry mentor being paired with up to 10 mentees. These “circles” will meet regularly over the course of four months. Forty-five mentors are attached and will be able to support over 400 mentees. Led by Mentor Coach Aydrea Walden, the mentor pool is 73 percent women/non-binary, 48 percent BIPOC, and 40 percent internationally based.
“I’m super excited to see this round of circles reflect the amazing range of perspectives, voices, and talents that can help the animation industry continue to grow and thrive. Every single person has an amazing story to share and something unique, personal, wonderful, and important to bring to the table,” Walden said. “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the things I’ve achieved without some amazing mentors, and I’m thrilled to help more women connect to mentors who can help them reach their goals.”
WIA President Marge Dean commented, “The WIA Mentorship Program is really at the core of what WIA is about. We’re so proud of the tremendous success of this program and the many careers the program has supported and inspired over the years. We’ve received endless feedback from both mentees and mentors about how the program has had a profound impact on their lives. We realize that our members’ financial challenges may be daunting in these pandemic times, and that mentorship support is more valuable than ever in this moment, so we diligently adjusted our budget allocations to allow for wider mentee participation without charging for access to this program in 2021.”
Head over to WIA’s website for more information about the Spring Mentorship Program. Members of WIA and the program’s partner orgs can apply for free.
