Mentorship

Do you need help to launch or improve a participatory program? Apply for expert mentoring support!

We’re offering expert coaching for government officials, staff, and advocates who want help with a participatory process. We know it’s challenging for governments and organizations to find relevant practical guidance to launch or improve participatory programs. When confronted with tough questions and problems about design or implementation, program managers are often unsure what to do or who to ask.

Rising Stars is the online mentorship program from People Powered that connects you with expert guidance to launch and improve participatory programs. We match advocates, policymakers and program managers seeking guidance (mentees) to on-the-ground experts who can address questions (mentors).

The program is implemented in collaboration with Coglobal within the framework of the Nets4Dem project. Coglobal manages participants in the Horizon Europe area (see countries here), connecting them with experts within the Nets4Dem network.

Examples of how mentorship impacts around the globe:

• Georgia and Berlin

• Kenya

• Poland-Zimbabwe

• Hungary-United States

• Scotland-Brazil

Who is this program for?

• Activists in civil society organizations and governments are trying to win approval for participatory programs.

• Government officials and community partners who are trying to plan participatory programs.

• Staff in government and civil society organizations responsible for implementing participatory programs.

How does the program work?

1. Apply for expert mentoring support.

2. Prepare for the program. Participate in an online orientation session about the program’s goals and expectations, mentoring process and resources offered. We review your application and assign you a mentor or mentoring group. Matching criteria include the type of participatory program, language, location, and challenges you need support with.

3. Meet your mentor or mentoring group. You and your mentor schedule a call to discuss your challenges and decide on the goals you want to achieve through your mentorship. You have up to three calls with your mentor or mentoring group over the course of 6 months.

4. Get the confidence, knowledge and skills to run a more successful participatory program!

How can you apply?

We have four open calls for mentorship in 2025. See the schedule below and apply by the deadline to be matched with a mentor.

Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered by the following application deadline. If you have an urgent deadline and need to receive mentoring assistance sooner, contact the People Powered and Coglobal team at mentorship@peoplepowered.org.

Mentors

These are some of our mentors from the previous cohort. Please stay tuned for the new list of our carefully selected mentors from around the globe.

1. Achille Noupeou, ASSOAL, Cameroon

2. Alberto Ford, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina

3. Aleksandra Zietek, Eurocities, Belgium

4. Alisa Aliti Vlasic, Coglobal, Croatia 

5. Andrés Falck, Coglobal, Spain

6. Anne Gauthier, Montréal Urban Ecology Center, Canada

7. Bachir Kanoute, Enda ECOPOP Organization, Senegal

8. Charlie Martial Ngounou, Afro-leadership, Cameroon

9. Czarina Medina-Guce, Asian Development Bank, Philippines

10. Edwin Msewa, Jappa-NIGEL Consultancies, Malawi

11. Eliza Meriabe, Nalotuesha Indigenous Women Organisation, Kenya 

12. Emiliano Arena, National Agency for Access to Public Information, Argentina 

13. Fernanda Imperio, Delibera Brasil, Brazil

14. Francesca Lynch, Scottish Community Development Centre, Scotland 

15. Gisela Signorelli, Conecta Iberoamérica, Argentina

16. Jeremy Apert, European Partnership for Democracy, Belgium

17. Juan López-Aranguren, Democratic Society, Spain

18. Kaisa Schmidt-Thomé, Demos Helsinki, Finland

19. Katarzyna Pawłowska, Shipyard Foundation, Poland

20. Katy Rubin, Legislative Theatre Practitioner, United Kingdom

21. Katya Petrikevich, Participation Factory, Czech Republic

22. Nikita Rakhyani, PRIA, India

23. Kudzaiishe Seti, RMBJ Consulting, Southern Africa

24. Rosella Nocoletti, Eurocities, Belgium

25. Saha Balaganesh, Democratic Society, Belgium

26. Madison Rock, Arizonans for a Clean Economy, United States 

27. Oluchi Igili, University of Amsterdam, Nigeria

28. Paulo Francisco, Loures City Council, Portugal

29. Pier Paolo Fanesi, Municipality of Grottammare, Italy

30. Seona Candy, Demos Helsinki, Finland