About the programme
Women+ across the globe are minorities in the geospatial industry. For our founders, it was evident that one of the most impactful actions we could take as an organization was to create a mentorship programme that enabled gender minorities in the geospatial industry to connect, support, and learn from each other. With the inception of W+G in 2019, we designed, created and launched a mentorship programme that is now in its sixth year.
The W+G Mentorship Programme is an annual initiative that brings women+ together who seek to connect and grow alongside each other to feel empowered in their professional and personal lives. Through this global programme, women+ are provided guidance, tools, and opportunities through which cohort members develop meaningful relationships and achieve collective and individual goals.
To improve the accessibility of mentorship opportunities for women+ across the global geospatial sector, this programme is offered free of charge, and is run by a dedicated team of W+G volunteers.
7
Cohorts
680
+women+ in geospatial empowered
82
countries
279
Mentorship Relationships
Programme Elements
We support three mentorship models: one-to-one mentorship, group mentorship and peer mentorship. Each model comes with unique benefits that enable cohort members to find the connection, guidance, inspiration, and support that best suits their needs and goals.
One-to-One Mentorship
A pair of participants including one mentor who provides mentorship to one mentee.
The mentor provides support and advice to the mentee around a particular topic or skill in which they have expertise, knowledge and wisdom.
Benefits: the mentee receives dedicated focus and attention on a few specific areas of interest; mentors develop their interpersonal, training, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
Group Mentorship
A group of participants including one mentor who provides mentorship in a group setting to up to three mentees.
The mentor provides support and advice to the group of mentees around common topics or skills in which the mentor has expertise, knowledge and wisdom. One-to-one support between the mentor and a mentee is not provided in this type of mentorship.
Benefits: increased opportunities to engage and develop through discussions, sharing of ideas, insights and resources, and collective learning for mentees; mentors develop their team management, interpersonal, training, communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
Peer Mentorship
A group of four peers who mentor and guide each other.
There is no single mentor in this type of mentorship; each member of the group acts as an equal contributor to everyone’s growth, learning and support.
Benefits: this type of mentorship often benefits participants with some existing career experience who can provide perspectives and advice to others with similar levels of experience; allows for growth of connections with multiple people.
The Mentorship Programme also provides a number of other unique features and opportunities to enhance Programme participants’ experiences.
The women in my mentorship group have really supported me (and held me accountable) in growing through our monthly challenges and discussions. – Ariel Low, peer mentor, 2021.
Become part of the W+G mentorship programme community
Information for Applicants
What to expect
The W+G Mentorship Programme Team is excited to support you by making this Programme a rewarding and engaging mentorship experience. However, we remind participants that you get out what you put into your mentorship journey. If you are selected for this competitive Programme, you should be prepared to commit to:
- Regular meetings: with your mentor / mentee / peer mentors – once a month at the minimum
- Engagement with the whole cohort, including contributing to Circle discussions on the Mentorship channel and attending cohort cafe’ video calls
- Creating a legacy, for yourself and for the community of women+ in the geospatial industry. For example, you can design and complete a project of your choosing, or write / record a testimonial for the programme. This is a unique opportunity where you can showcase and grow your skills in a number of ways, and we have Legacy Project coordinators to assist you along the way
- Consistent communication, with your pair/group’s assigned Mentorship Coordinator and actively participate in the Programme until the end of the Programme in June
You will need to commit at least 3 hours a month to the programme in order to prepare for and attend your mentorship meetings, and to implement your learning. This time can be spread across the month at points that suit you. You can, of course, spend more time than this to make the most of your experience.
Who can apply
We welcome all who identify as women or are from underrepresented genders to apply to the Programme as either a mentor or mentee. This includes cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary individuals, and those who are otherwise marginalized based on their identifying gender.
Cis-men are encouraged to share their knowledge and experience as mentors in the Programme; however, we cannot support cis-men as mentees or peer mentors in this Programme.
As this is an international programme, be aware that you may be matched with a mentorship partner who is not near your home location. Please ensure you are equipped for regular voice or video meetings throughout the programme.
I was able to meet my mentor at an international industry conference. She had so much time for me and really boosted my confidence. - Madeleine Hann, mentee, 2021
How to apply
As a programme applicant, you are evaluated based on the information provided in your submitted application. If selected, you would be matched based on your areas of expertise, the skills and knowledge you wish to develop, and other practical considerations (e.g. time zones and preferred languages for communication). The link to the application is below.
What Makes a Successful Application?
For Mentees
Your application is scored based on your responses to the following questions:
- Why do you want to take part in the Mentorship Programme?
- If you are selected for the Mentorship Programme, what do you hope to achieve by the end?
We suggest you write approximately one-two paragraphs to answer these questions – take some time to think through your answers and make them specific to you and your aims to get the best results!
The remaining questions serve to help us make an effective match so please be confident the information you provide is accurate (e.g. your time zone).
Grammatical mistakes are not penalized as long as they don’t affect our comprehension of your answers.
There is limited capacity in our programme; applicants with higher scores are more likely to be invited to join the cohort, so we encourage all applicants to invest time and effort into fully answering all questions in the application.
For Mentors
We ask you a short series of questions to learn about the skills and expertise you are able to offer mentees. We also ask about your mentorship preferences and mentoring capacity. We use all of this information to ensure an effective match. Grammatical mistakes are not penalized as long as they don’t affect our comprehension of your answers.
Please take care to answer these questions carefully, particularly those around your capacity, as we will make matches based on these responses and do not want to disappoint any mentees.
Key Dates
Here are the key dates for the upcoming cohort:
- Applications Open – 12th August 2025
- Applications Close – 7th September 2025
- Cohort Begins – 6th October 2025
- Cohort Ends – 17th May 2026
Interested in participating?
The application for cohort 7 is currently open. You can apply for the mentorship programme (both as a mentor or a mentee) by completing the attached form.
Forging a geospatial community where all genders can thrive.Inspire. Unite. Empower.