Since the Mentorship Program was designed in partnership with Justice Outside in 2020, we have had 40 mentors and 40 mentees go through this six-month program that aims to connect Colorado’s emerging and seasoned leaders of color.
While each cohort is unique, they are all tied together by efforts to have our participants leave the program with a growing network, applicable life and career skills, and leadership capabilities.
The program consists of a series of group field trips, trainings, networking events, group projects and one-on-one opportunities and will culminate with a focused capstone project.
Mentees should identify as a person of color; work in public lands, outdoor recreation, natural resources, water, or conservation; work at entry-level and/or have at least 6 months to fewer than 5 years of relevant work experience; and be based in Colorado.
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​Mentors should identify as a person of color and/or Indigenous; work in public lands, outdoor recreation, natural resources, water, or conservation; work at mid to senior-level or above, with 5 or more years of relevant work experience (including transferable experience); and be based in Colorado.
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Students and people that are not currently employed are eligible to apply.
We know that mentors will learn from mentees as much as mentees will learn from mentors, and we welcome the examination of the mentor/mentee construct in the program! ​
The cost of this program for mentees is based on a sliding scale, depending on your employer’s ability to contribute. We never want fees to be a barrier to participation, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if cost is a concern for you.
There is no cost for mentors to participate in the program, but we hope you will consider asking your organizations to sponsor the program.
To apply, please submit the following Google form by July 31, 2025.
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After the application closes, we will conduct a 30-minute Zoom interview with applicants. Interviews for mentors will be held during the week of August 11th. Interviews for mentees will be held the week of August 18th.
You can expect to hear from us by the week of August 4th to schedule your interview and by August 29th to receive notice about your status in the program.
This six-month program will launch at Next 100 Colorado’s annual member and partner convening in October 2025 and will conclude at Colorado Parks and Wildlife Partners in the Outdoors Conference in April 2026. Please see below for a list of program dates and times. To ensure the effectiveness of this program, attendance is mandatory for all participants due to its heavy reliance on participation.
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Mentee on-boarding: October 1st, 2025, 5-6 pm virtual
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Mentor on-boarding: October 2nd, 2025, 5-6 pm virtual
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Program launch: Mid to late October, in-person in the metro Denver area
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Programmatic Session 1: November 19th, 2025, 4-6 pm virtual
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Programmatic Session 2: January 14th, 2026, 4-6 pm virtual
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Programmatic Session 3: March 19-20, 2026, in-person location tbd
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Programmatic Session 4: April 27-29, 2026, in-person in Colorado Springs
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Monthly one-on-one mentor/mentee meetings, virtual or in-person for 1-2 hours
Want to learn more about the program? Attend our virtual information session on Tuesday, July 8th at 5:30 pm. Register here.
We want you to have as much information available about our mentorship program as possible. That's why we answered the most frequently asked question and put them below.​​​​
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If you have any questions about the program please feel free to reach out to Modesta McGrath-Martínez (mmcgrath-martinez@keystone.org) or Damian Garcia (damianalejandrogar@gmail.com) .​​