Yukon Indigenous Tourism Business Mentorship Program

The Yukon First Nations Culture & Tourism Association (YFNCT) is excited to announce another intake for the Yukon Indigenous Tourism Business Mentorship Program in partnership with the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO). This unique mentorship program is an exciting opportunity for Indigenous entrepreneurs with a business concept or vision, to work directly with an expert mentor who will be specially matched to them with their specific business needs in mind.
Program Goals:
- Provide the resources necessary to strengthen the tourism industry by developing skills and increasing business knowledge of tourism entrepreneurs and operators;
- Provide opportunities for Yukon Indigenous tourism entrepreneurs and operators to learn and benefit from more experienced tourism operators/professionals;
- Enhance the strength of the Indigenous tourism industry over the long term by providing resources and opportunities for Yukon Indigenous tourism businesses to learn from experienced professionals; and
- Facilitate knowledge transfer from more experienced professionals to new/younger entrepreneurs.
How it works:
The successful mentees will be appropriately matched with an experienced mentor who will work with them for up to 7 days over a 3-6 month period starting in September 2022. The mentorship will include valuable one on one time as well as support and coaching throughout the mentorship period in order to develop specific plans to suit the mentee’s business concept or vision. Each assignment is a combination of off-site work and on-site work and the schedule is decided by the mentor and mentee. This program is completely free of cost and is provided in partnership by YFNCT and CESO. Focus areas for the mentorships may include niche product marketing and distribution, organizational management, business development and business succession planning. The program will enhance the skills of mentees and expand their own capacity as well as their businesses and organizations to further economic development growth in their region.
Who can apply:
This program is open to Yukon First Nation citizens and Indigenous people who live in the Yukon, as well as Yukon First Nations cultural centres pursuing tourism development opportunities. Applicants must have an existing business or business vision/concept. Please refer to the Mentorship Program Guidelines for eligibility.
How to apply:
Applicants may simply apply via email with one or two paragraphs explaining your business and what areas you require mentoring in. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, September 1, 2022. Applications will be reviewed by the designated YFNCT Board Selection Committee.
To apply, please email Harmony Hunter at tourism@yfnct.ca or Caili Steel at caili@yfnct.ca.
For more information, please see the Mentorship Guidelines or call Harmony at 867-667-7698 ext. 201.
Successful CESO Mentorships:
- https://www.ceso-saco.com/ceso-expert-coaches-jocelyn…/
- https://www.ceso-saco.com/indigenous-entrepreneur-jacob…/
- https://www.ceso-saco.com/jacquelyncardinal-indigenous…/
- https://www.ceso-saco.com/spinning-a-canadian-arctic-yarn/
View the Mentorship Guidelines here: [insert new link with updated mentorship guidelines]