MENTORSHIP AS A DEI STRATEGY

Peace, security, and foreign policy organizations need to change existing norms that undermine their current and threaten their future success, including unhealthy stasis and competition; exclusivity and toxicity; insufficient and opaque structural support; and racist and white supremacist systems and cultures (N Square, 2019).

Successful mentorship of professionals of color disrupts barriers and provides them with more equitable access to career advancement; comfort and belonging; community and networks; exposure and encouragement to pursue professional opportunities; and focused support and guidance.

Having employees engaged in mentorship provides organizations: better performance; higher employee engagement; reduced turnover; a sustainable, self-supporting model for impact; and a research-backed pathway to racial diversification of its staff and decision-makers.

By pairing DEI best practices with mentoring, organizations and practitioners have an opportunity to affect positive change in the makeup, equity, and impact of peace, security, and foreign policy efforts**.