This Is How LGBTQ Mentors Are Changing Lives

Mentoring is one of the best ways to boost your career development. Now WorldPride is partnering with WERKIN to make mentors accessible within the LGBTQ community.

But what exactly is WERKIN?

A tech company and app providing access to mentorship across industries, WERKIN supports the LGBTQ community, people of color, women, people with disabilities and other under-represented groups. The company was founded by Hayley Sudbury, a gay entrepreneur who built a very successful career in financial service. Sudbury found herself unhappy with the opportunities within the industry and saw few (if any) role models who looked like her. With a lack of female and LGBTQ representation in the tech world and the workplace in general, Sudbury was determined to fill the void.

“[WERKIN] is focused on helping organizations sponsor and mentor,” Sudbury explained. “Having been in these organizations, I feel it’s really set me up to understand what the customer wants.”

Get Mentored!

WERKIN was developed as an acronym for “We Are Kin.” This idea emphasizes finding community and “kin” within the workplace. The goal of the company is to connect those who are just beginning their careers with mentors both in and outside of their organizations who can provide support to learn and grow. Through the connection of WERKIN, mentor and mentee pairings can arrange meetings, collaborate on projects and gain access to exclusive content and events.

“I have personally seen the impact mentoring can have on someone early in their career,” she says. “Sponsorship, having an advocate at the top, is an essential part of ensuring [people] are receiving the support they need to challenge the status quo.”

This year, WERKIN offers free access to their mentorship program to all WorldPride participants who are members of LGBTQ Employee Resource Groups. It’s an exclusive four-week program open to all LGBTQ+ identified individuals from all industries who are part of their company’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group. With the WorldPride partnership, WERKIN promises that WorldPride attendees from across the globe will now be connected at the touch of a button.

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