Mentoring
The GIVEN Institute has developed a signature mentoring program available to women who have participated in a Leadership Forum.
The GIVEN Institute invites and trains a network of mentors who want to accompany young Catholic women in activating their gifts for the Gospel.
If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity of becoming a GIVEN mentor or wish to learn more about the commitment and requirements for our program, please contact us. We’d love to answer your questions or set up a phone call.
Read one GIVEN mentor story here:
About Mentoring with GIVEN
At GIVEN, we help each woman hear and respond to her unique and unrepeatable call from the Holy Spirit—her authentic personal vocation.
Through the Art of Accompaniment Mentoring Program, established Catholic women (age 36+) accompany emerging leaders (ages 21–35), offering encouragement, wisdom, and guidance for a year as they pursue their personal Action Plans, grow in leadership, and live out their gifts for the Church and the world.
GIVEN provides tools, resources, and community for women as they discover their gifts and live out their vocations. Our hope is that through receiving the love and gifts of other sisters in the Lord, each woman will be strengthened and equipped to respond with the unique gift that only she can give!
Why Mentor with GIVEN?
As a GIVEN mentor, you will:
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Walk alongside a young Catholic woman (21-35) for one year
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Help her develop and carry out an Action Plan—an initiative that helps her activate her gifts for the Church and the world
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Model the integration of faith, interpersonal relationships, professional aspirations, and vocational responsibilities
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Strengthen the next generation of Catholic women leaders
The Catholic Young Women’s Leadership Forum
The GIVEN Leadership Forum is a weeklong formative event that, in part, launches each cohort’s journey. In the months leading up to the Forum, participants and mentors take part in formation, opportunities to meet one another, and ongoing support. These early encounters help build community and prepare everyone for a transformative week together.
At the Forum, mentors—both lay and consecrated women—are present to support the young women who attend. During the week, mentors serve in various roles, including:
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Small Group Leaders
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Spiritual Directors
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Mental Health Professionals
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Other supportive roles as needed
After the Forum, mentors continue to walk one-on-one with young women, offering guidance and encouragement as they implement their Action Plans and grow in faith, leadership and mission.
Other Mentoring Opportunities
The GIVEN Network is a vibrant, growing community of Catholic women leaders who collaborate, connect, and accompany one another.
Women who cannot attend the Forum but still feel called to mentor may serve in other ways, including:
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Host and join local events and gatherings
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Offer virtual support for one-time mentoring skills-based needs
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Connect with a vibrant community of Catholic female leaders
Who Can Be a Mentor?
We invite applications from Catholic women who are:
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36+ years of age
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Faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church
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Experienced leaders in their field, ministry, or community
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Eager to share their wisdom with the next generation
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Committed to encouraging and empowering other women
Mentor FAQs
You must 36 years of age or older and have 8+ years of experience in your profession or vocation. Mentors must have a desire to journey with other women in their particular state in life, leading from her own experience and personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church.
Absolutely! We have been blessed with the presence of many religious sisters who have spent a year accompanying young women in our program. To be considered as a Mentor, a religious sister must be fully professed or in temporary vows.
Mentors are required to participate in virtual preparatory training sessions leading up to the Forum and commit to a one-year relationship with up to two mentees. Mentors meet with each mentee at least once a month for a minimum of 30 minutes. In addition, mentors complete monthly check-ins, participate in quarterly virtual gatherings, and submit both a mid-year and final evaluation.
Lay Mentors cover the cost of their travel to the Leadership Forum. GIVEN finds sponsors for invited consecrated women religious to help cover their travel expenses. In addition, GIVEN covers food and lodging for all Mentors.
Our Mentor training and participation in the Leadership Forum are essential in order to walk with our young women as a Mentor. There may be other select mentoring opportunities outside of our Year of Accompaniment program, once a relationship has been established with GIVEN staff.
Yes! Mentors receive training to help them walk with their mentees throughout their journey, unpack the Forum themes, and support the development of their Action Plans. These trainings are held virtually in the months leading to the Forum.
An Action Plan is a project developed by each young woman participating in our program to put her gifts in service of the Church and the world. Mentors walk alongside mentees by offering encouragement, accountability, and practical advice as they bring their plans to life.
Mentors are not alone in their service. GIVEN staff provide ongoing support, resources, and check-ins to ensure that mentors are equipped and encouraged throughout the year.
After the Forum, mentees and mentors are prayerfully matched based on professional expertise, personal interests, and the skills most helpful for supporting the mentee in developing her Action Plan.
The most important qualification for a GIVEN Mentor is a willingness to accompany and encourage young women in their unique call from God. Professional experience and vocational maturity matter, but the heart of mentoring is sharing your lived wisdom and faith.
No. Because mentoring is primarily virtual, women from across the United States (and beyond) can serve as GIVEN Mentors. However, whenever possible, preference is given to pairing mentors and mentees from similar locations to allow for potential in-person connection.
Yes! Many mentors return to the Forum or continue serving in subsequent cohorts of the Art of Accompaniment Mentoring Program. There are also opportunities to support GIVEN alumnae in our network, serve as Action Plan Strategists for new participants, or offer skills-based assistance in other areas.