Photo: Lydia Mullan
Applications for The Magenta Project’s mentorship program are now open for the 2023-2024 cycle. This program aims to improve diversity and in particular support women at the highest levels of the sport of sailing by pairing aspiring athletes with industry leaders who can help them reach their potential.
Applications opened on August 1 and close September 1. Each applicant will select one of four categories to be matched into—Olympic/dinghy, offshore, inshore/keelboat, and other—and will have a mentor with corresponding expertise. Successful applicants will receive their pairing in October to begin the nine-month long program.
Each mentee is expected to have their own goals that will guide the work that they do with their mentor. There is no standard program, but rather a unique relationship based on the expertise and ambitions of the pair. Mentors may be remote or local, which also may guide the partnership and allow for things like time on the water together or networking in areas that the mentee otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
The 50 2022/2023 mentors included sailors like Justine Mettraux, Annie Lush, Damian Foxall, Abby Ehler, Liz Wardley, Carolijn Brouwer, and other notable names in the sport.
As part of the program, mentees also gain unique perspectives from other top names in the sport via a curriculum of monthly virtual workshops, which in the past have included webinars like:
• Campaign Management with Dee Caffari
• CV workshop with Allie Smith and Annie O’Sullivan
• Sponsorship Webinar with Leslie Ryan
• The Ocean Race with Pete Burling and Carolijn Brouwer, Bouwe Bekking, or Charlie Enright
• Foiling 101 with Emily Nagel
The Magenta Project was founded in 2015 when the crew of the all-women’s SCA campaign in the Volvo Ocean Race realized that they weren’t getting the same opportunities as their male counterparts—even after racing around the world.
To date, over 200 sailors have participated in the program from countries all around the globe.
To learn more or submit your application, go to themagentaproject.org/mentoring
August 2023
