Peer mentorship program for women entrepreneurs to be held in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A peer mentorship program for women entrepreneurs, organized by WeBC, is being held in Fort St. John.

The Community Peer Mentorship Program, delivered locally in partnership with the Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce, aims to bring together local women business owners to connect with peers, share experiences and receive practical support to grow their businesses. 

According to WeBC, peer mentorship helps business owners gain fresh perspectives, explore new approaches to problem-solving and shorten the learning curve by gaining insight from others’ experiences. 

Fort St. John and District Chamber of Commerce executive director Tiffany Hetenyi told Energeticcity.ca the local response to the program has already been strong.

“There has been strong interest in the program, and we are exploring additional options such as co-ed mentorship groups and other ways to continue providing mentorship support,” said Hetenyi. 

“This was a great opportunity offered to us with WeBC, and they offer so many amazing resources for entrepreneurs in a variety of formats.”

The winter/spring program’s first session is scheduled for February 10th, running from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the chamber’s meeting room, Hetenyi noted. Following this, seven additional sessions will take place every Tuesday at the same time on a weekly basis.

Hetenyi said each meeting focuses on one participant, who presents a current business challenge to the group, after which other participants offer their insight, ask questions and give advice.

“At the following meeting, [they] do a recap and touch base to see how the last participant used the discussion from the mentorship group and how they are feeling, before the next participant presents,” Hetenyi added. 

She added the format helps participants learn about different businesses while building meaningful connections.

The program is open to women over the age of 19 who are actively operating a revenue-generating business in B.C. Groups typically include up to seven participants.

Thanks to funding from the federal government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, the 2026 program is being offered free of charge.

WeBC says applicants who are not chosen will stay on the program waitlist and will be notified when new sessions begin in their area.

More information and application details are available through WeBC’s website.