RBC Future Launch, the bank’s 10-year commitment to helping Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, has partnered with Ten Thousand Coffees (10KC) to launch Impact Mentoring - a differentiated mentoring experience designed to accelerate the career development of BIPOC youth.

Over 80% of jobs are found through networks and even a degree alone doesn’t build or uncover career pathways - relationships are vital to understanding what opportunities exist and how to access them. BIPOC youth must overcome significant barriers to access influential networks, barriers that have been accentuated in remote or hybrid work environments. Impact Mentoring will unlock access to networks and career opportunities for BIPOC youth through mentorship.

“For those who have well connected and influential networks, it’s hard to understand that others don’t or that they face barriers to build strong relationships of their own,” Mark Beckles, Vice-President, Social Impact & Innovation at RBC. “That’s why we’re excited to create access to critical mentors and relationship building opportunities through RBC Future Launch and 10KC. This is an important evolution of our partnership to open the right doors for young BIPOC Canadians.” 

In April 2022, 44 BIPOC-identifying mentees (under the age of 29) were matched with professional mentors using the 10KC Smart Matching algorithm to become the first Impact Mentoring cohort. Over the next 12 months, these pairs will work through 10KC’s proprietary Mentoring module designed to build and advance the careers of BIPOC youth. 

“We are so excited to launch Impact Mentoring and expand our partnership with RBC Future Launch. We consulted DEI experts and BIPOC industry leaders to design a mentorship program that will break down barriers and support BIPOC youth career development. We’re using our technology to further RBC Future Launch’s mission to help BIPOC youth feel more prepared for the future of work.” Dave Wilkin, CEO & Co-Founder, 10KC

Impact Mentoring was designed to increase connectivity between BIPOC youth and industry professionals, empowering this next generation of leaders to develop the skills needed to accelerate their career growth and build awareness of career pathways and opportunities. Through partnerships with organizations including Life Sciences Ontario and Ascend Canada, Impact Mentoring creates an opportunity for mentors to give back to the community and develop leadership skills through mentorship. 

"Life Sciences Ontario is committed to the principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility. We know systemic barriers exist that hinder equity deserving groups from engaging in life sciences and we must work to address them. We partnered with 10KC and RBC Future Launch on Impact Mentoring to help young people from these equity deserving communities navigate these barriers while expanding their own professional networks as they pursue a future in a more inclusive life sciences sector. " Dr. Jason Field, President & CEO, Life Sciences Ontario

Since 2018, RBC Future Launch and 10KC have been partnering to help young Canadians prepare for the future of work. Over 70 post-secondary institutions across Canada use 10KC to increase access to mentoring and networking by matching students with alumni based on their career goals. These programs have supported over 60,000 youth and 25,000 alumni across the country. 

To keep up to date with Impact Mentoring and learn about future program cycles, register here for updates.

About RBC Future Launch

RBC Future Launch is a decade-long commitment to help Canadian youth prepare for a drastically changing workforce, through skills development, networking and work experience. RBC Future Launch is bringing young people together with community leaders, and partners across the private and public sectors to help them prepare for the future of work. The commitment began in 2017 with an investment of $500 million dollars over 10 years.

About Ten Thousand Coffees

Ten Thousand Coffees (10KC) is an enterprise software platform for mentoring, networking and informal talent development experiences that serves 180+ businesses, universities/colleges, and social impact partners globally. Our suite of informal development experiences includes mentorship, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and talent development programming, including virtual onboarding and networking solutions. In partnership with our clients, we work to drive and measure their employee engagement, connectivity and employee development goals in today's decentralized and hybrid work environments.

Founded in 2014, by Dave Wilkin, CEO, and Elliott Garcea, CTO, 10KC's mission is to democratize opportunity for all. 10KC is the world's first technology to deliver all informal development experiences in one spot — the moments that happen through discussions with colleagues, mentors and leaders where people learn and grow the most. You can learn more about Ten Thousand Coffees here.