CALIFORNIA LIFE SCIENCES LAUNCHES A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO PROMOTE YOUTH MENTORSHIP, INCLUDING A $20,000 COMMITMENT TO MENTOR CALIFORNIA
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June 28, 2022
San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Calif. – California Life Sciences (CLS), the state’s most impactful life sciences membership organization, announced today the launch of a strategic partnership to strengthen youth mentorship programs, including a $20,000 commitment to MENTOR California.
“We’ve long understood the critical value of creating access to life sciences careers for those who have been historically excluded in our industry,” said Lori Lindburg, SVP of Innovation & Inclusion at CLS. “Access is also about fostering meaningful connections between students and industry professionals, and it’s the quality of those connections that can launch and foster a young career. Mentor CA brings another valuable tool for mentors and mentees to learn from each other to create real paths to equity in our industry.”
CLS is dedicated to mentorship and entrepreneurship in the life sciences and spearheads a number of programs and partnerships that thrive on mentorship, including NexGeneGirls, the Inclusive Research Mentor-Manager Training, the Science Empowerment Initiative, and the Bay Area BioGENEius Challenge. In 2021, as part of its Racial and Social Equity Initiative, CLS launched a Career Connections Summit, with Slone Partners ENVISION Mentoring Program, to support historically excluded Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) high school students in their career journey.
All of these programs are intended to expose students to an expanded range of science-related careers and to provide students with practical career navigation tools and connections to help them embark on their science careers. Over the next year, CLS and MENTOR California will work together to strengthen existing CLS mentorship programs, while increasing the quantity of mentoring relationships in California.
“We’re honored to partner with California Life Sciences in championing the educational and career-oriented dreams of our most marginalized youth,” said Marcus Strother, President and CEO of MENTOR California. “By supporting the Racial and Social Equity Initiative in learning and expanding the students’ knowledge of science-related careers, we’ll work to train mentors and mentees in what it means to be committed to connection and community in this work. The vision we share with CLS is one in which every young person has access to quality mentors and the resources they need to create good.”
About MENTOR California
MENTOR California is an Affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, the unifying champion of youth mentoring across the United States. MENTOR California has a mission to increase both the quality and quantity of youth mentoring in California and close the mentoring gap for the one in three youth growing up without a mentor outside of their family. MENTOR California achieves this through elevating the mentoring field by providing training and technical assistance to mentoring programs, leading statewide recruitment efforts, advocating for increased local, state and federal investment in mentoring, leading research on the youth mentoring field, and fostering collaborations to transform systems. MENTOR California was founded in 2020 following a funded feasibility period facilitated by MENTOR and seeks to build on a long history of commitment to and capacity building for mentoring in the state of California. For more information visit mentorcaliforniayouth.org
About California Life Sciences California Life Sciences
California Life Sciences (CLS) is the state’s most influential and impactful life sciences membership organization, advocating for the sector and its diverse innovation pipeline. For more than 30 years, CLS has served the community by supporting companies of all sizes, from early-stage innovators and startups to established industry leaders in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology. CLS also works closely with universities, academic and research institutions, the investment community, and other critical partners that promote this vibrant sector. With offices in South San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, CLS works to shape public policy, improve access to breakthrough technologies, educate lawmakers, and advance equity within our ecosystem by championing innovative solutions for some of the most pressing challenges of our times. In doing so, CLS fulfills its mission to protect and nurture California’s life sciences industry, empowering discoveries that lead to healthier lives around the world.