Artist Advocate - Mentor for Emerging Artists

Save to Favorites

Note about COVID19: During this time, we are still recruiting mentors for the fall and winter 2020-2021. This mentoring term will be online until further notice.

An Artist Advocate, with Arts on the Block’s Design Your Future program, is an empowering, knowledgeable, resourceful, adult volunteer who serves as a support and trusted confidant to a young creative on our Studio Crew. The Advocate helps to ensure that the Emerging Artist develops important academic, professional and life skills, is exposed to a network of opportunities and a wide array of resources, makes positive professional and educational choices, and builds/follows through with a plan in terms of their long-term goals.

The Artist Advocate’s Responsibility to Emerging Artist
Every volunteer Advocate must:

• Be able to commit to spending at least twelve months in a relationship with a young creative professional
• Meet at least once a month (for two hours per meeting), engaging in professional/educational/career-oriented development
• Communicate with Emerging Artist consistently - by telephone or email - to keep in touch about what is going on in their lives
• Honor all commitments made to the Emerging Artist and Arts on the Block
• Be respectful of Emerging Artist’s time, opinions, and decision-making
• Serve as a positive role model by modeling Positive Youth Development behaviors - e.g., patience, active listening, respect
• Be comfortable and able to establish appropriate boundaries with Emerging Artist
• Be encouraging and supportive of Emerging Artist
• Help Emerging Artist develop a milestone plan for achieving their long-term educational/career-oriented goals by the use of short-term goals

The Artist Advocate’s Responsibility to Arts on the Block
Every volunteer Advocate must:

• Attend quarterly meetings with other Advocates to discuss the Design Your Future Program successes and areas to improve
• Complete Check-In Sheets to track the progress and goals of Emerging Artist during each monthly meeting
• Support the building of a safe, supportive, welcoming, and trauma-sensitive environment

Qualifications
All volunteer Advocates must:

• At least 5 years of professional experience
• Submit an application, including one reference, to Arts on the Block
• Previous volunteer experience desired
• Exhibit a genuine passion to empowering young creative leaders
• Have a solid network of connections and willingness to share resources and make professional connections