Join as a Mentor

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Become a Mentor – Creative Catalyst Programme

Do you have experience leading creative, cultural, or heritage projects? Are you passionate about supporting others to grow, gain confidence, and reach their potential? We’re looking for mentors to join the Creative Catalyst Mentorship Programme — an initiative designed to nurture and inspire Buckinghamshire’s next generation of creative leaders.

Our mentors play a vital role in shaping the future of the sector, offering guidance, sharing experience, and helping mentees navigate challenges and opportunities. Whether you’re an established leader, freelancer, consultant, or creative professional, your insight can make a real difference.

Why Become a Mentor?

This is your opportunity to:

Make an Impact: Support emerging and existing creative leaders to grow in confidence, develop their skills, and deliver inclusive, community-led arts, culture, and heritage projects.

Share Your Experience: Use your professional knowledge to guide others through their challenges, offering practical advice, strategic insight, and encouragement.

Learn and Grow: Mentoring is a two-way process — mentors often find the experience helps them reflect on their own practice, refresh their thinking, and build new connections.

Strengthen the Sector: Join a network of cultural professionals committed to nurturing talent, developing leadership, and building a more inclusive and sustainable creative community across Bucks.

What’s Involved

As a mentor, you will:

  • Work one-to-one with an assigned mentee for a 6–12 month period, providing up to 12 mentoring sessions.
  • Offer strategic and practical guidance aligned with the mentee’s goals or project.
  • Support your mentee to develop an action plan and take meaningful steps in their leadership journey.
  • Attend an initial induction and optional networking sessions with the wider cohort.

Mentors will be carefully matched to mentees based on experience, area of expertise, and interests.

Who We’re Looking For

We welcome mentors from all areas of the cultural and creative industries — including arts, heritage, community engagement, digital, education, and beyond. You might be:

  • A senior leader or manager in an arts, heritage, or cultural organisation.
  • A freelance creative or consultant with experience in leadership, strategy, or project delivery.
  • A professional from a related field who wants to contribute your knowledge to support creative growth in Bucks.

Creative Catalyst is Underway!

Our first Creative Catalyst cohort is now underway, with mentees beginning their mentoring journeys, shared learning and new connections across Buckinghamshire’s creative and cultural sector.

Applications for the 2025/2026 cohort are now closed, but we’ll be sharing stories, reflections and the impact of the programme as it develops. Information about future opportunities to join Creative Catalyst will also be shared here and through the Bucks Culture newsletter and social channels.

Support and Recognition

Creative Catalyst is made possible with support from Heart of Bucks and the Rothschild Foundation.

Their investment helps us offer tailored mentoring, training and networking opportunities to creative and cultural leaders across Buckinghamshire.

Logos of Heart of Bucks Community Foundation and Rothschild Foundation.