In 2024, Mentor Canada and SRDC conducted a national study to understand how mentoring can strengthen skills and support career development for young adults across Canada.
In total, 3,110 young people between the ages of 18 to 30 participated in a national survey on their mentoring, educational, and employment experiences. The researchers specifically prioritized reaching racialized youth; over half of the young people who participated in the survey identified as racialized.
Who had mentors and who wants mentors?
This dashboard shows the percentage of respondents who had mentorship experiences during their childhood and adolescence, since turning 18, and overall (either before and/or since 18).
Mentorship experiences include respondents who participated in a formal mentoring program as well as respondents who developed natural mentoring relationships with a supportive person in their networks. The percentages reported exclude respondents who were unsure whether they had mentorship experiences.
The last column shows the openness to mentoring among young adults who have not had a mentor since turning 18.
| Category | Had mentorship experiences overall | Had mentorship experience before 18 | Had mentorship experience since 18 | Openness to Mentoring Among Unmentored Youth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 68.9% | 56.7% | 61.8% | 76.8% |
| Ethnic/racial identity : Black | 74.2% | 64.2% | 66.4% | 80.3% |
| Ethnic/racial identity : Indigenous | 75.6% | 62.8% | 67.4% | 69.7% |
| Ethnic/racial identity : Non-Indigenous | 68.4% | 56.3% | 61.4% | 77.1% |
| Ethnic/racial identity : Racialized | 70.8% | 59.2% | 64.1% | 77.4% |
| Ethnic/racial identity : White | 65.4% | 52.4% | 57.9% | 75.8% |
| Gender identity : Men | 67.7% | 59.0% | 60.1% | 76.0% |
| Gender identity : Women | 69.9% | 54.6% | 63.7% | 76.7% |
| Gender identity : Gender Diverse | 67.9% | 53.4% | 57.1% | N/A |
| Gender identity : Transgender | 81.1% | 74.7% | 73.8% | 81.7% |
| Gender identity : Cisgender | 68.0% | 55.4% | 60.9% | 76.4% |
| Immigration status : Born in Canada | 67.9% | 55.6% | 60.4% | 74.7% |
| Immigration status : Born Outside of Canada | 71.4% | 59.7% | 65.5% | 83.1% |
| Immigration status : Second Generation | 64.3% | 51.5% | 56.6% | 80.2% |
| Age : 18-24 | 72.1% | 62.9% | 64.1% | 79.1% |
| Age : 25-30 | 66.2% | 51.4% | 59.9% | 75.0% |
Mentoring and skills development
This dashboard focuses on how mentors support the development and strengthening of each skill from the Government of Canada’s Skills for Success model.
Respondents with mentoring experience: this category shows the percentage of respondents who had mentorship experiences which they rated as having a significant impact on their lives since turning 18, and who reported that their mentors helped them develop each skill.
Respondents without mentoring experience: this category shows the percentage of respondents who have not had mentorship since turning 18, who are open to mentoring, and who would like the support of a mentor to help them develop each skill.
N/A: in a few cases, the data is not available due to the small number of respondents.
| Category | Literacy | Digital | Problem-solving | Communication | Collaboration | Adaptability | Creativity and innovation | Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Has Mentoring Experience since 18 | 65.9% | 64.7% | 83.9% | 83.2% | 82.3% | 85.4% | 79.3% | 81.1% |
| No Mentoring Experience since 18 | 53.3% | 56.9% | 71.0% | 74.8% | 64.9% | 73.4% | 70.9% | 73.6% |
| Black : with Mentoring Experience | 75.7% | 73.3% | 79.5% | 80.0% | 82.3% | 89.0% | 87.3% | 82.6% |
| Black : without Mentoring Experience | 62.4% | 64.0% | 76.1% | 77.2% | 71.6% | 82.9% | 76.7% | 76.4% |
| Indigenous : with Mentoring Experience | 60.6% | 59.6% | 76.3% | 76.1% | 80.3% | 79.8% | 72.6% | 75.9% |
| Indigenous : without Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Non-Indigenous : with Mentoring Experience | 66.3% | 65.0% | 84.5% | 83.6% | 82.4% | 85.8% | 79.7% | 81.4% |
| Non-Indigenous : without Mentoring Experience | 54.0% | 57.1% | 71.0% | 74.8% | 64.9% | 73.1% | 71.1% | 73.8% |
| Racialized : with Mentoring Experience | 69.8% | 68.5% | 82.4% | 82.3% | 83.8% | 85.3% | 79.1% | 81.0% |
| Racialized : without Mentoring Experience | 56.3% | 59.0% | 71.1% | 74.7% | 66.0% | 74.4% | 69.3% | 71.7% |
| White : with Mentoring Experience | 59.2% | 58.0% | 86.5% | 84.7% | 79.7% | 85.5% | 79.5% | 81.1% |
| White : without Mentoring Experience | 48.6% | 53.6% | 70.8% | 74.9% | 63.0% | 71.9% | 73.4% | 76.4% |
| Men : with Mentoring Experience | 72.6% | 70.1% | 82.5% | 82.0% | 81.1% | 83.6% | 79.3% | 79.5% |
| Men : without Mentoring Experience | 59.7% | 63.4% | 71.8% | 73.7% | 68.3% | 73.7% | 71.8% | 73.7% |
| Women : with Mentoring Experience | 60.9% | 61.4% | 85.3% | 85.1% | 83.8% | 87.2% | 79.5% | 82.7% |
| Women : without Mentoring Experience | 48.6% | 51.5% | 70.4% | 74.9% | 62.1% | 72.7% | 70.9% | 72.7% |
| Gender Diverse : with Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gender Diverse : without Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Transgender : with Mentoring Experience | 68.2% | 61.6% | 76.2% | 75.9% | 72.7% | 69.1% | 72.1% | 62.4% |
| Transgender : without Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Cisgender : with Mentoring Experience | 65.6% | 64.6% | 84.4% | 83.6% | 82.9% | 86.3% | 79.5% | 82.1% |
| Cisgender : without Mentoring Experience | 54.3% | 57.8% | 72.0% | 74.9% | 65.5% | 74.0% | 71.4% | 74.0% |
| Born in Canada : with Mentoring Experience | 63.0% | 60.4% | 83.8% | 82.0% | 81.2% | 84.7% | 78.5% | 79.9% |
| Born in Canada : without Mentoring Experience | 51.6% | 55.2% | 71.7% | 75.3% | 65.2% | 74.1% | 71.0% | 74.1% |
| Born outside Canada : with Mentoring Experience | 72.5% | 74.3% | 84.3% | 85.9% | 84.9% | 87.0% | 81.1% | 83.7% |
| Born outside Canada : without Mentoring Experience | 57.9% | 61.6% | 69.0% | 73.4% | 63.8% | 71.6% | 70.6% | 72.2% |
| Second Generation : with Mentoring Experience | 66.7% | 68.9% | 85.5% | 81.6% | 83.9% | 83.2% | 79.1% | 81.2% |
| Second Generation : without Mentoring Experience | 55.2% | 60.1% | 77.3% | 79.5% | 67.6% | 75.9% | 74.5% | 76.7% |
| 18-24 : with Mentoring Experience | 65.3% | 62.3% | 80.4% | 79.4% | 81.2% | 84.5% | 78.0% | 78.3% |
| 18-24 : without Mentoring Experience | 51.1% | 54.1% | 69.4% | 76.3% | 64.5% | 74.1% | 70.0% | 72.9% |
| 25-30 : with Mentoring Experience | 66.4% | 66.6% | 86.8% | 86.3% | 83.2% | 86.1% | 80.3% | 83.3% |
| 25-30 : without Mentoring Experience | 55.1% | 59.2% | 72.2% | 73.5% | 65.2% | 72.9% | 71.7% | 74.1% |
Youths’ Definition of Success
This dashboard explores the most common ways young adults who participated in the study defined success in relation to their education and careers. It provides insight for mentors, mentoring programs, and others interested in young people’s development and well-being into what matters most to them.
Respondents with mentoring experience: this category shows the percentage of respondents who had access to mentorship since turning 18.
Respondents without mentoring experience: this category shows the percentage of respondents who have not had access to mentorship since turning 18.
N/A: in a few cases, the data is not available due to the small number of respondents.
| Category | Being mentally and physically healthy | Having work/life balance | Achieving financial success | Having a reliable and stable job | Having freedom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents | 54.1% | 52.5% | 45.4% | 42.1% | 38.9% |
| Has Mentoring Experience since 18 | 53.1% | 53.2% | 45.4% | 40.8% | 37.1% |
| No Mentoring Experience since 18 | 57.6% | 53.4% | 48.0% | 45.1% | 43.2% |
| Black | 45.9% | 42.9% | 50.9% | 36.3% | 33.5% |
| Black : with Mentoring Experience | 43.2% | 43.7% | 48.7% | 32.8% | 32.0% |
| Black : with No Mentoring Experience | 48.4% | 39.9% | 55.9% | 43.4% | 35.5% |
| Indigenous | 53.4% | 50.4% | 43.3% | 41.5% | 40.5% |
| Indigenous : with Mentoring Experience | 53.4% | 54.6% | 46.4% | 40.9% | 30.4% |
| Indigenous : with No Mentoring Experience | 57.5% | 42.8% | 39.9% | 49.1% | 60.6% |
| Non-Indigenous | 54.1% | 52.6% | 45.5% | 42.2% | 38.8% |
| Non-Indigenous : with Mentoring Experience | 53.1% | 53.2% | 45.3% | 40.8% | 37.6% |
| Non-Indigenous : with No Mentoring Experience | 57.6% | 54.0% | 48.4% | 44.9% | 42.3% |
| Racialized | 51.1% | 49.9% | 45.2% | 40.9% | 38.0% |
| Racialized : with Mentoring Experience | 50.6% | 49.3% | 44.6% | 39.2% | 35.0% |
| Racialized : with No Mentoring Experience | 54.0% | 51.7% | 50.0% | 45.8% | 45.1% |
| White | 59.1% | 56.8% | 45.7% | 44.3% | 40.4% |
| White : with Mentoring Experience | 58.0% | 60.8% | 46.8% | 44.0% | 41.1% |
| White : with No Mentoring Experience | 63.0% | 55.9% | 45.1% | 44.1% | 40.5% |
| Men | 47.6% | 47.6% | 44.6% | 40.2% | 41.8% |
| Men : with Mentoring Experience | 46.4% | 47.2% | 43.6% | 38.6% | 41.0% |
| Men : with No Mentoring Experience | 51.2% | 48.4% | 47.9% | 44.0% | 44.5% |
| Women | 60.1% | 58.0% | 47.1% | 44.0% | 36.4% |
| Women : with Mentoring Experience | 59.8% | 59.4% | 47.7% | 42.8% | 33.7% |
| Women : with No Mentoring Experience | 62.5% | 59.1% | 49.3% | 45.7% | 42.2% |
| Gender Diverse | 59.0% | 41.4% | 30.9% | 41.1% | 35.9% |
| Gender Diverse : with Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gender Diverse : with No Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Transgender | 38.3% | 33.5% | 28.3% | 33.4% | 40.6% |
| Transgender : with Mentoring Experience | 34.1% | 35.7% | 30.3% | 30.9% | 37.9% |
| Transgender : with No Mentoring Experience | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Cisgender | 55.5% | 54.3% | 46.8% | 42.8% | 38.9% |
| Cisgender : with Mentoring Experience | 54.9% | 55.1% | 46.8% | 41.4% | 37.1% |
| Cisgender : with No Mentoring Experience | 57.6% | 54.3% | 49.1% | 45.3% | 43.0% |
| Born in Canada | 55.3% | 53.4% | 45.1% | 43.8% | 40.0% |
| Born in Canada : with Mentoring Experience | 53.9% | 54.9% | 44.4% | 41.5% | 37.9% |
| Born in Canada : without Mentoring Experience | 59.2% | 53.5% | 47.3% | 47.6% | 43.7% |
| Born outside of Canada | 50.8% | 50.1% | 46.1% | 37.7% | 35.9% |
| Born outside of Canada : with Mentoring Experience | 51.3% | 49.3% | 47.7% | 39.3% | 35.1% |
| Born outside of Canada : without Mentoring Experience | 53.0% | 53.0% | 50.2% | 37.6% | 41.9% |
| First Generation | 55.2% | 54.1% | 49.2% | 46.3% | 43.4% |
| Second Generation : with Mentoring Experience | 55.8% | 53.5% | 48.1% | 40.9% | 37.5% |
| Second Generation : without Mentoring Experience | 54.3% | 57.0% | 53.0% | 55.4% | 51.9% |
| 18-24 | 52.4% | 49.0% | 43.9% | 40.8% | 38.9% |
| 18-24 : with Mentoring Experience | 52.7% | 49.3% | 42.9% | 39.7% | 37.4% |
| 18-24 : without Mentoring Experience | 56.2% | 50.5% | 48.7% | 42.7% | 44.2% |
| 25-30 | 55.5% | 55.4% | 46.7% | 43.3% | 38.8% |
| 25-30 : with Mentoring Experience | 53.5% | 56.8% | 47.6% | 41.8% | 36.8% |
| 25-30 : without Mentoring Experience | 58.7% | 55.6% | 47.5% | 46.9% | 42.5% |
Learn more about the study and its methodology: Unlocking Doors: Research on Mentoring to Strengthen Skills and Support Career Pathways for Racialized Young Adults
Dataset Available
The data collected is extensive and the anonymized dataset is available for researchers interested in further analysis and reporting focused on specific sub-groups of respondents or other topics of interest to the youth development and mentoring field.
Contact us for more information.
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