Mentor Program for Future Indigenous Lawyers - Launch Event!

Are you an Indigenous person interested in law school? The Indigenous Initiatives Office is launching a mentor program to match future Indigenous law students with current Indigenous law students and recent alumni of U of T Law. Please read the information below to determine if you’re interested, and if you qualify.

What is this program about?

• We recognize that Indigenous people who want to attend law school in Canada face many barriers. Often we are the first person in our family to attend law school and, sometimes, the first in our family to attend university. Prospective students might have questions about the LSAT, courses they should be taking in undergrad, grades they need to be competitive, law schools they should apply to, and much more. The purpose of this program is to build helpful and meaningful relationships between Indigenous folks interested in law school and current Indigenous law students or recent graduates.

Who are the mentors?

• Mentors will be volunteer law students who are members of the Indigenous Law Students’ Association (ILSA) at U of T Law or recent ILSA Alumni (articling students or lawyers called to the bar in the last 4 years).
• We will try to match mentors with mentees based on where folks are from and their interests.
• It’s important to note that your mentor may give you tips and advice on applying to law school but they won’t be on the admissions committee in the year(s) that you make your application(s) to U of T Law.

Who are the mentees?

• In order to participate in the program, you must self identify as Indigenous, be a resident of the GTA and have completed, or be currently enrolled in, a university level undergraduate program.
• If you’re a community member interested in law school but you do not meet these qualifications, please get in touch with Amanda.Carling@utoronto.ca and we can discuss your eligibility for the program.

How do mentees sign up?

• In order to be matched with a mentor, you must complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZDWJ7S - the more information you share, the better we will be able to match you.
• If you are eligible for the program and we are able to match you with a mentor, we will get in touch and ask your permission to share your survey answers with your mentor. Your survey responses will only be seen by the folks administering the program unless we ask you to share it with your future mentor.

What will U of T Faculty of Law do?

• The Faculty will match mentors and mentees to the best of our capacity. Space in the program will be limited by the number of mentor volunteers we are able to recruit and our budget.
• We will host a Launch Event for the program on Friday, March 13 from 9 a.m. – noon. The launch event will be held at U of T Law (84 Queen’s Park in Toronto). Mentors and mentees will make hand drums and share a meal. We will send more information about the event once you have completed the survey.
• Where resources allow, from time to time, mentors and mentees will be provided with a modest budget to share a meal or coffee.

What will the mentorship relationships look like?

• Mentors and mentees will decide how often they want to get together or chat. If a mentor and mentee don’t “click”, where we have capacity, we will aim for another match.

Please note that this is the first time the Indigenous Initiatives Office has run a program like this so we are learning as we go. We welcome your ideas and suggestions as well as your kindness and patience.

If you have questions or concerns, please call or email at your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Contact: Amanda Carling - Manager, Indigenous Initiatives

amanda.carling@utoronto.ca or 416-978-2583