One Month Mentors
At Clarks, we’re so proud to be part of, and champion, a diverse and inclusive community. And equality, respect and striving for progress are at the heart of every step we take. That’s why we work with inclusivity-focused branding agency The Elephant Room as part of their pioneering mentorship programme ‘One Month Mentors’, focusing on the personal and professional development of talented individuals looking for support and growth.
One Month Mentors unites mentees with established marketing leaders, empowering people through workshops, talks, projects, and building industry connections. Every programme centres on communities around the cultural calendar – Black History Month, International Women’s Month and Pride. These groups often have limited access to creative spaces and career advancement, and so it’s important to uplift them on their journeys.
We’re thrilled to be the first global brand to invest in The Elephant Room’s programme, giving mentees exclusive insights into Clarks’ marketing, design and branding processes, nurturing their progression, and driving meaningful change for the world ahead.
One Month Mentors For International Women's Day
At Clarks, we have a long-standing history of supporting women’s rights, and this is continued to this day through constantly reflecting and looking at ways we can support global agendas to empower people with the freedom to move comfortably, as they are. This March 2024, in honour of international women’s month and its theme ‘inspire inclusion’, we once again collaborated with our partners, The Elephant Room, to craft a unique mentoring programme to facilitate long term, sustainable relationships and establish an empowering and supportive network for our female and non-binary mentees as they navigate their careers.
One Month Mentors For Pride
Together with The Elephant Room, we gave 10 mentees from the LGBTQ+ community exclusive insights into Clarks' marketing, design and branding processes, empowering them to become the next generation of creative minds.
This career-enhancing collaboration celebrates and elevates individuality to promote greater diversity in the creative world. Through tailored programmes and open, engaging one-to-one conversations, our mentees gained access to a wealth of knowledge from those who've gone before them, helping them push their creative boundaries and develop their own unique ideas.
We caught up with the mentees to hear about their time on the programme, from the invaluable career advice and skills they learned to the confidence they gained to start their creative journey into the world ahead.
In My Shoes With Embrace Equity Mentees
With 2023’s International Women’s Month encouraging us all to #EmbraceEquity, we stepped up again – inducting 11 young creatives into The Elephant Room’s One Month Mentor initiative.
Through tailored programmes and open, engaging one-to-one conversations, our mentees gained access to a wealth of knowledge from those who’ve gone before them – but don’t just take our word for it. We caught up with the innovators to ask them about their experiences, from the skills they’ve learnt along the way to the confidence they’ll take with them as they build their dream careers. Our mentees speak about the incredible impact the mentorship has had on their self-belief and professional growth, and how they feel truly emboldened to take on the future.
One Month Mentors For Black History Month
We’re always looking to do more to amplify the Black creative community. So, every Black History Month, we offer professional guidance and host events to support emerging Black creatives.
As part of our inspirational professional development programme One Month Mentors Great Strides, senior mentors from the creative industry team up with mentees from the Black community to cultivate lasting connections and boost the mentees’ future careers.
And to keep inspiring change? Shannie Mears, Co-Founder and Head of Talent at The Elephant Room, is part of the Black History Month panel at Clarks, to further advise on our diversity and inclusion journey.
'We want this to feel like something practical but still fun, something that makes you want to tell all your friends and family about so we can create a ripple effect, and we are so proud to be going on this journey and creating impact alongside a brand we love’
- Shannie Mearsthe elephant room, Co‑Founder & Head of Talent
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