At this year’s joint Mentoring Celebration and WIA Summer Party, mentoring lead Eleni Stathi shared a few words which we would like to share with you:

Do I Belong Here?

When we think about mentoring, it's easy to imagine someone sharing technical advice, how to run a project, resolve a detail, or navigate the next career step. But after reading more than 400 applications for this year's Women in Architecture mentoring programme, we realised that isn't what people are really asking for.

They're asking a much more fundamental question.

"Do I belong here?"

Again and again, hidden between discussions about promotions, qualifications and career ambitions, was a quieter conversation about confidence.

People wrote about imposter syndrome. About hesitating to speak up in meetings. About doubting whether they were good enough. About feeling invisible. About wondering whether leadership was really for someone like them.

And what struck us most was that these feelings weren't confined to one stage of a career.

They came from students. Newly qualified architects. Project architects. Associates. People returning after career breaks. Even experienced professionals.

It reminded us that confidence isn't something we achieve once and keep forever. It's something we rebuild throughout our careers.

The numbers help tell that story.

The Numbers

This year we analysed 402 mentee applications. Around two-thirds of applicants were under 30, but people applied from every stage of the profession. More than half had completed Part I or Part II, while over a third had already completed Part III. This isn't just a programme for emerging professionals. It's a programme for people navigating change.

As we explored the applications, confidence emerged as the thread connecting everything else.

People weren't simply asking how to become better architects. They wanted to become better leaders.

They wanted to know how to have difficult conversations. How to negotiate. How to influence decisions. How to step into leadership. How to return after having children without losing momentum. How to change direction. How to find their place.

In other words, they weren't asking for someone to tell them what to do. They were asking for someone to believe they could do it. That, we think, is the true value of mentoring.

Because sometimes the most important thing a mentor gives you isn't an answer.

It's perspective. It's reassurance. It's someone saying, "I've stood where you're standing now and you can do this."

Building A Community

Another thing that stood out was how often people talked about belonging.

Applicants wanted to connect with people beyond their own practice. They wanted role models. They wanted to meet people whose experiences reflected their own, whether that meant being a parent, an international professional, a woman in leadership or someone who thinks differently.

Mentoring, it turns out, isn't only about transferring knowledge.

It's about building community.

And perhaps that's the most hopeful finding of all. Because these applications weren't full of people who wanted someone else to solve their problems. They were full of ambitious, thoughtful professionals who wanted to grow.

People who wanted to contribute. People who wanted to lead. People who wanted to help build a profession that is more inclusive than the one they entered.

So when we talk about the impact of mentoring, let's not measure it only by promotions or new jobs, important though those are. Let's measure it by the conversations that help someone stay in the profession when they were thinking of leaving.

By the confidence to put themselves forward for that promotion. By the courage to lead their first project. By the moment someone realises they don't have to navigate architecture alone. Because mentoring isn't simply about helping people build careers.

It's about helping people believe that they belong in the future of our profession. And we believe that's one of the most powerful things we can do for architecture.

Our mentoring programme provides more than professional advice. It builds confidence, creates connections and unlocks potential, empowering architects to lead, grow and help share a more inclusive future for our profession.

Architecture is built on collaboration and so are careers!

Many many thanks to all our mentors and mentees who took part in this year’s mentoring programme. We hope to see you all again next year!