To self-deservings but maybe not self-proclaimed Mountain Mentors,
You are not alone in the struggle of becoming a mentor. I have also experienced the struggle of making the leap to becoming a mentor along with countless other women and non-binary folx that have participated in the Mountain Mentor program. Speaking to my own experience, there were serious doubts in my head of the qualifications I *should* have and the skill level I *should* offer to a mentee. Somehow in my head, during my seven years of climbing and five years of skiing, I haven’t picked up enough skills to play the mentor role. And even when I have decided to become a mentor, am I enough? What I have worked through (and currently still working through) is that mentorship might not be as cut and dry as we may think.
In formal mentorship programs like Mountain Mentors, the mentor/mentee relationship is rather straightforward: some seasons you are a mentee, and others, you are a mentor. In our everyday relationships, this line between mentee and mentor is faded and mentee/mentorship becomes more of an instance in time rather than a label to carry forever and always. This is similar to a teacher/student relationship where students enroll in a course to learn from their teacher (like the Mountain Mentor program), but outside the classroom, we continue to learn from people around us, but rarely do we have established teacher/student roles.
Photo: Keegan Kent
What is being a mentor about anyway? Mentorship will look different for each pair because mentees are going to come with different knowledge, background and challenges they are working through. I see mentorship as being a coach, a way to help people work through their challenges. This is especially true in a sports context because in the end, no one can ski, climb, hike or snow shoe for us. Mentorship might simply be giving people the confidence to use the skills they already have, such as offering a positive voice to win over a negative voice in their head. It could be skill sharing to unlock new aspects of the sport. Or it’s offering a different perspective or attitude to change the way they relate to the sport. Mentorship is also not a one way street where all the benefit of the relationship goes to the mentee. It is about having a good relationship with mentees and being open to the idea that people prefer to learn in different ways and may want to receive criticism in different ways.
Let’s also address the fact that so many people who have been socialized as women and have the ability to be a mentor do not have the confidence to proclaim themselves as a mentor even though they may already operate accordingly in the outdoor community. There is a confidence gap in the way that we have socialized women and men in society and it’s evident when we look at the outdoor community. Outdoor guides play a big role in leadership in our community and only 18% are women in Canada without any further breakdown for those that identify as a person of colour and zero statistics on non binary people. The model is not there for us and it seeps into our subconscious because of who we see leading groups most often. We also see this pattern occurring in the workplace where self-identified men are 18% more likely to be hired for a senior role and hold 82% of the executive office positions in Canada (statistic from 2020). This may be why my male counterparts are often more confident in stepping into leadership positions and may be more likely to be trusted when people are seeking leadership in the outdoors. I’m sure I haven’t been the only one to be overshadowed by a man who said the same exact thing as you but your suggestions were overlooked.
There is a systemic issue that needs to be corrected. We need to work together to give women and non binary folx the confidence to step into the role of being a mentor for the good of their future mentee and the community at large that will benefit by having more women and non binary people in leadership roles. To future and current mentors, know that it’s totally normal to be captivated by imposter syndrome (I find myself in this cycle pretty regularly). Together as a community, we can work through these feelings because I truly believe we can learn so much from one another with good communication and an open mind. I’m so grateful to participate in a program like Mountain Mentors to help me build the confidence to step up as a leader when the opportunity arises in the outdoor community, in my career and my everyday life.
Thank you to Mountain Mentors for providing this space for all of us.
Sincerely,
Christina Radvak (she/her)
Mexican-Canadian, queer climbing Mountain Mentor