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Greta Reid, community catalyst at the Okanagan coLab is part of a learning group called ‘Disruptive Leaders’ where social impact leaders of all demographics come together to learn from and be mentored by youth. 

They engage in deep discussions about anything from homelessness to sustainability which is facilitated by young people like Reid herself, who push back on the status-quo. Reid says the group is in line with the idea of ‘reverse mentoring’ which involves a young person mentoring someone older or more advanced in their professional experience. 

“We’re coming into this disruptive leadership training with [equity diversity and inclusion] and social justice as our lens because the biggest barrier with EDI and social justice right now is it’s a lot of conversation with no action,” says Reid.

The Disruptive Leadership group of 25 people, Reid says, is a space where changemakers can engage in a safe, open discussion, and in many cases, the facilitators can push back and challenge leaders. They touch on anything from Indigenous activism and Truth & Reconciliation, the Black Lives Matter movement, protests in Iran, and anti-Asian hate in Canada.  

“We’re trying to kind of create actionable items and share education… and ask questions when people make certain statements that are not in alignment with society now,” says Reid. 

If someone from a University board says that they prioritize diversity, Reid says that someone from the group can counter with a “push back statement”, and ask how they are actually doing that beyond checking boxes and putting people of colour on the covers of their books. 

“We’re just disrupting everything,” says Reid. 

What exactly is reverse mentoring?

While traditional definitions of mentoring often involve an older or experienced mentor teaching or coaching a younger or less experienced mentee, the idea of reverse mentoring switches that dynamic around to have a young person mentoring someone older or more experienced professionally  to promote intergenerational connections in the social impact sector. 

Reid was a mentor at the Future of Good – Mentor Canada 2022 reverse mentoring event and also has a lot of experience doing similar programs at the coLab. She works with people in a group called ‘Cohere’ where they participate in hour-long facilitated discussions about anything from philosophical topics to marketing skills. 

But Reid explains that she sees mentorship as a circular practice, rather than something linear where one person teaches someone else about a topic. And by doing this, traditional formats of mentorship perpetuate a hierarchy of power and put mentors on pedestals.  “The most impactful mentoring relationships are reciprocal in nature where both mentor and mentee are authentic, and engage in teaching and learning interactions where both individuals gain new insights and perspectives,” says the executive director of Mentor Canada, Tracy Luca-Huger.

“When we think more circularly, we think about community sharing, and we think about the wealth of knowledge that isn’t rooted in power dynamics. And I loved the idea of reverse mentoring because it’s taking people who maybe have learned experience, innovative ways of doing things and sharing that with older generations,” says Reid. 

Growing up in an Indigenous community, Reid says circular living and learning is understanding that cousins, aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents all teach each other something. “And it’s not just a skill or a way of living — it’s about what to do, what not to do, and how to be the best version of yourself,” she says. 

Similarly, mentoring, informal or formal, can be transformative for both the mentor and mentee. 

For Danisha Bhaloo-Shivji, manager of fund development at the Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area, mentoring has been a big part of her life. Growing up, she was involved in programs Big Brothers Big Sisters where she was matched with a mentor who stayed with her for 25 years. 

Since then, Bhaloo-Shivji has been part of many mentoring programs — including the Future of Good – Mentor Canada reverse mentoring events for the last two years. She explains that her experience with reverse mentoring has been particularly rewarding because of the open conversations she’s been able to have with older executives in organizations that want to listen to her. 

The mentees that Bhaloo-Shivji has worked with have been interested in learning more about topics like working digitally, technology, and her own experiences working in the social impact sector. And sometimes, she says, the mentoring can feel like organic networking and has helped her cultivate professional relationships too. 

But she says that people even younger than her, around the age of 16 or 17 have a lot of experience they can share with older people in the social impact sector. 

“I think especially in the non-profit sector, as well as any sector, people tend to get stuck in how things were and how things have always been done,” says Bhaloo-Shivji “And we’re getting a refreshing new group of people who are younger, who come to us with new ideas and new ways of thinking.”