“Creative mentorship” affirms mentoring as a tool of personal and professional development, strengthens the capacities of the cultural sector and provides support to prospective professionals interested in developing, networking and sharing knowledge and experience. We want to build, gather and support a community of motivated and socially responsible individuals that will contribute to the development of a society based on creativity, culture, knowledge and mutual cooperation.

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“Since the first hour of the program, I knew that the relationship with Tamara will be reversible. With her, I was also in a position to learn! Besides discovering new, to me lesser-known matrices of the organization in the communications team where Tamara works, together we detected new possibilities and completed them by outlining the resolutions. Additionally, my work with the mentee helped me “sort” differently the experience and knowledge I already have. Thanks to the whole process and tools we used during the program, I became a “better version of myself”.”

Nebojša Krivokuća

Playwright and Creative Director at Communis DDB agency

“This role was challenging for me in terms of time, dedication, and focus on mentee’s needs. At first, I had an impression that we will resolve all her questions within the space of a few conversations where my knowledge and experience would be of use. But, as our relationship progressed, she helped me develop as a mentor - by sharing her impressions on it, commenting, and giving me insight into what the concrete suggestions and advice meant to her; she led me and I tried to adapt myself and challenge her (in the most positive sense).”

Ivana Jovanović Arsić

Cultural manager, founder and the president of the association “Kulturis”

"I understand much better now what it means to be an active mentor following a system and having accountability for progress, as opposed to being a passive mentor. They are two different things, and I appreciate having gained this through the “Creative Mentorship”."

Nathan Koeshall

Director and co-founder of Catalyst Balkans

"It gave me a very in-depth understanding of the benefits of mentorship in practical, theoretical, and personal ways. While I think that everyone has an understanding of what a mentorship could look like, actually forming one in a formal sense is different - it is challenging, it requires vulnerability, it requires opening up and being comfortable sharing. Seeing this in practice was a huge contribution to me personally and something I see a lot of value in."

Riley Hammersly

Community manager at Nordeus

“I am extremely happy with the relationship with my mentor, with what we achieved, topics that we managed to go over, and with the fact that for the first time I had a person to support me and be a sort of my “personal consultant” both in a professional context and my personal relation towards work.”

Tamara Belajić

Coordinator of marketing and communications for Novi Sad 2022 - European Capital of Culture

“By making small steps, creating smaller projects, ideas, and through personal improvement, I managed to promote myself and my library, in local circles as well as in broader professional ones. This is especially visible in professional organizations where I gained more important roles in management, and in my team, where my and my library’s work are visible and genuinely appreciated.”

Bojana Petraš

Librarian at the Professional Library of National museum in Zrenjanin, as a librarian, an editor, also taking care of collections of old and rare books

“I opened up for this kind of experience that mentorship process brings: I have met numerous impressive people, with whom I could easily collaborate or become friends in the future, and I know who to ask for advice if I find myself in a challenging situation.”

Maida Gruden

Art historian, head of visual arts department at the Students’ City Cultural Center in New Belgrade

“The knowledge that my mentor had gained through developing Mikser organization and shared with me, helped me understand the process of it. I learned that every growth requires not only strategic planning, but the time for organic growth, for reviving an idea, logical extension, networking, and connecting. I learned how important it is just to start.”

Milena Banić

Lawyer and an international consultant for human rights and sustainable development

I was encouraged by the eagerness of successful expert to unselfishly share knowledge and advices, and became motivated to continue with this practice in relations with my younger colleagues. I learned that mentorship is about patience, dedication, and motivation to help others. I learned that people are not difficult, but different. That leadership is not only about talent and excellence in own profession, but also about active listening, guidance, understanding and compassion. These useful techniques can help me with my everyday life and work. I learned to be better in learning every day.

Jelena Manić Radoičić

Program manager

Should only a small part of what we discussed – get realized, that would be a big step forward. It is unbelievable how good our match is, and the ideas we came up with together are revolutionary.

Snježana Bahtijari

Marketing, communications and CSR Director in Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Zagreb

I was matched with my mentor based on my interests and experience – and this was a perfect match! It has been very useful for me to find out that someone successful has gone through same periods, problems and dilemmas as I am going through right now. My mentor invited me to various events and connected me to relevant professionals and that has been really precious for me.

Ivana Anđelković

MA founder of co-working space “Pionirska” in Novi Sad

I am very satisfied with my mentor. If I was thinking for months about the choice of my mentor, he would never come up with his name... however, choosing him seems such a logical move that I wonder whether it is really possible that it has never crossed my mind! Even on our first meeting I noticed that he has so much experience that he could tell only three sentences, and I would keep thinking on them all the time, for a month. I am not used to such outcomes: my big dilemmas might not be solved, but I got huge input in just one sentence.

Stefan Savić

grahic designer

Awesome! Inspiring! Beneficial on so many levels. Creative Mentorship is a great opportunity to connect and create a network with people who share your interests and values, as well as benchmark with them while having insights into their experience. Opportunity to learn and teach in both formal and informal environments.

Jelena Vasilev

Digital communication and CSR expert

CREATIVE MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME

Do you have a need to ask for advice from someone whom you believe could provide you with relevant knowledge and experience? Do you want to share the challenges you face with someone reliable, talk about available options or possibilities that may occur, but that you have not even thought about? Are you interested in the life path of the people you admire – how they reached their goals and overcame obstacles?

If your answer is YES, you are in the right place!

Creative Mentorship is the first mentorship programme in Serbia which tackles the issue of personal and professional development of upcoming leaders in the field of culture. It aims to promote mentorship as a way of lifelong learning and exchange of knowledge and experience between an established professional, the mentor, and emerging professional, the mentee. We are on a mission to develop and support a community of motivated and socially responsible individuals who would contribute to the society based on creativity, culture, knowledge and collaboration.

Each cycle of the Creative Mentorship programme gives the opportunity to 25 mentees, upcoming leaders in the field of culture, to be supported by mentors, established professionals from different fields. Through the programme, talented, dedicated, and engaged young professionals, active in the field of culture, match with mentors, chosen according to their needs and interests. A variety of activities, training and events offer to the mentees new insights, contacts and information.

The Creative Mentorship programme has a non-profit character and is free of charge for the mentees, thanks to the numerous patrons of the programme from the private, public and civil sectors from Serbia and abroad.

Also, in order to increase capacities related to mentoring and promote the idea of mentorship, we have developed a know-how base and handbook that are available on this site, and we organise public debates, speed-dating events etc.

The programme Creative Mentorship was launched in 2012.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE PROGRAMME

The active part of the Creative Mentorship programme lasts one year. During this period, the mentees have individual monthly meetings with their mentors, who support them in achieving their goals, provide them with professional guidance and offer a new perspective on their career plans and challenges.

Additionally, we organise various educational events, both closed and open to the public, such as round tables, presentations, lectures andtrainings. They are primarily  intended, for the participants of the programme, mentors and alumni, but are also open to all the professionals in the field of culture, as well.

The educational programme consists of three different types of training and lectures:

  • about mentorship, personal and professional development
  • practical skills, such as communication, presentation, fundraising, leadership, team work
  • current topics, relevant to the field of artistic and cultural production, as well as cultural policy.

The Creative mentorship team organised public workshops and discussions about the idea of mentorship and the methodology of the programme in September and October 2017 in 7 Serbian cities. From February 2018 until February 2019, within the framework of the fourth programme cycle, 12 trainings, lectures and round tables were held in Belgrade. The 5th cycle of the “Creative Mentorship” programme started in September 2019.

An important aspect of the programme are the formal and informal gatherings, which create the space for networking and cooperation among participants, mentors and alumni. Our alumni could confirm how valuable it was for them to become part of the Creative Mentorship community, as well as to have the continuous support of the programme team and access to the know-how base and handbook about mentorship.