Nurturing Creative Talent – A look back at the Mentor Scheme
Reflecting on two years of mentorship and impact
For the past two years, the Distributed Design Platform has led a dedicated mentorship initiative, offering 30 creative talents across Europe the opportunity to receive tailored guidance and support. The Mentor Scheme was designed to empower emerging designers, makers, and creatives by enhancing their professional growth and capacity building within their respective fields.
How did the Mentor Scheme work?
Each year, a diverse panel of 24 mentors was carefully selected. These mentors included members of the Distributed Design Platform, professionals from affiliated organizations, experts associated with the Distributed Design Award, and alumni from previous programs such as the Circular Cities Challenge, the Master in Design for Emergent Futures, and Fabricademy.
The program was conducted entirely online, fostering one-on-one mentorships between creative talents and industry experts. These personalised sessions were adapted to suit each mentor’s expertise and preferred working methods, ensuring that every mentee received guidance tailored to their specific needs.
With a broad range of backgrounds and specializations, the mentors brought expertise in Distributed Design principles, circular and regenerative design approaches, community engagement, and alternative business models. This diverse network allowed mentees to find the right mentor to refine their design strategies and advance their projects.
Building community and connections
Beyond mentorship, the program aimed to cultivate a strong sense of community. A dedicated platform and Discord channel were established, fostering engagement, collaboration, and peer-to-peer networking. These spaces enabled mentees to share their ongoing work, exchange opportunities, and directly connect with other creatives within the Distributed Design network.
Over two years, the Mentor Scheme welcomed participants from 13 different countries, including Spain, Estonia, and Brazil. More than 60% of mentees had a background in Design and Technology, while around 40% specialized in creative leadership, research, and development.
Feedback and learnings
Mentors played a crucial role in addressing mentees’ challenges, offering new perspectives, and introducing strategies that enriched their learning experience. Their tailored guidance was able to provide the Creative Talents, not only technical insights, but also encouraged creative thinking and professional confidence.
This mentorship approach fostered open discussions, hands-on learning, and professional development. It reinforced the importance of mentorship in supporting career progression and professionalization within the creative industries. The second year of the program built upon the foundations laid in the first, further strengthening this belief.
To highlight the achievements of mentees, all mentored projects have been featured in the Distributed Design Platform Online Exhibition – take a look! This showcase celebrates the growth and success resulting from the mentorship. Discover the mentored projects here.
What‘s next? What could the Mentor Scheme become?
If the program is developed further, we envision creating a collective resource – a structured list of tools, methodologies, and brainstorming techniques explored during mentorship sessions. Organised by topic, skill, and tool, this resource would be shared at the beginning of the program as a PDF to help mentees navigate their learning journey.
Additionally, we would aim to strengthen collaboration and exchange by introducing group calls, co-creation sessions, and virtual closing events. These initiatives would enhance the sense of community and provide a platform for mentors and mentees to share their experiences and insights more broadly.
The success of the Mentor Scheme during those two years, highlights the value of mentorship in shaping the future of creative talents. We remain devoted to caring for professional growth and collaboration within the Distributed Design community and hope to do so through future events.