[HYBRID] How to be a mentor (and why we can't help you) - a fireside chat

Have you ever thought about finding a mentor? Or ever thought about being a mentor? It's frequently mentioned in business books, articles, and podcasts on career growth, but is sometimes avoided due to a variety of completely understandable reasons.

It doesn't have to be scary. It can actually be kinda fun. A healthy mentoring relationship is much more than just meeting someone who gives you advice. It's an organic relationship where the benefits and efforts flow both ways; from the mentor to the mentee and from the mentee back to the mentor.

Meet Jarell Alvarez and Eric Joseph Lee, founders and organizers of the Vancouver Design Check In community on Slack. They have been instrumental in building an active, online community that brought (and continues to bring) designers together. This was immensely needed during the pandemic, which was both a challenging and isolating time for all of us. While building this community, they also became engaged in mentoring through ADPList, a global mentoring community.

In this fireside chat, Jarell and Eric will dispel myths about mentoring, talk about the importance of building community and giving back, and maybe convince you that mentoring is worth getting out of your comfort zone for.

When*:
• 5:30pm to 6pm - Networking and mingling
• 6pm to 6:45pm - Fireside chat
• 6:45pm to 7pm - Q&A
• 7pm to 7:30pm - Networking

*- all times are in PST

Where (if attending in person):
The Microsoft Campus, downtown Vancouver
Suite 700 - 725 Granville St
Vancouver BC
V7Y 1G5

Where (if attending remotely):
This event is a hybrid event, if joining remotely, you will receive a link if you have RSVP'd to the event to join remotely.

About our speakers:

Eric Joseph Lee
Based in Vancouver, BC, Eric is a UX designer building digital finance platforms at Central 1. With experience in interaction design, UX research, UI prototyping, and design thinking, he’s running Vancouver Design Check-In, an active design community aiming to empower new designers. Eric founded the first UX club at Simon Fraser University, led a team hosting Canada’s first UX hackathon, and worked as a design lead and product designer at startups. He has taught UX/UI design to over 400 students worldwide.

Jarell Alvarez
Jarell is a product designer and career coach based in Vancouver. He’s worked at companies like Copperleaf and mentors at ADPList, BCIT, and Pathrise. Jarell founded Vancouver Design Check-In, connecting local designers. Now freelancing, Jarell hosts the podcast Design Doesn’t Exist, does photography and videography, branding and pursues other creative design work.

Cover photo attribution:
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash