The Snapp pilot was launched with generous funding from the Mariam Assefa Fund through World Education Services, in partnership with Immigrant Networks. Conducted from April 2023 to June 2024, this project aimed to explore the feasibility and potential of a shared digital mentorship platform to support newcomers across Canada. By collaborating with 13 Service Provider Organizations (SPOs) and 110 users across Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, Snapp focused on building a sustainable, scalable platform to enhance mentorship for newcomers, enabling them to connect and grow through shared experiences and professional guidance. About half of these SPOs had pre-existing in-person mentorship programs, while for the other half, Snapp served as their first experience with mentorship offerings, opening new pathways for organizational and newcomer growth.

Our foundational work from our previous 2018–2021 Snapp pilot, funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), focused on understanding existing mentorship practices to assess how a digital platform could improve newcomers' access to employment mentors. The 2018–2021 pilot provided critical insights into mentorship accessibility for newcomers, which are summarized in our report available here. Our recent 2023-2024 Snapp pilot built on the learnings from the 2018-201 Snapp pilot and shifted focus toward collaborative integration among Service Provider Organizations (SPOs). This groundwork enabled our 2023-2024 pilot to learn optimizing SPO collaboration within a shared digital mentorship platform, advancing the potential for sustainable, interconnected mentorship support across Canada.

The 2023-2024 Snapp pilot aimed to foster greater collaboration and community among SPOs, positioning the platform as a complementary resource that supports organizations in uniting efforts within the settlement sector. Mentees were clients of participating Service Provider Organizations and mentors were recruited from those participating organizations and by PeaceGeeks. By creating a larger pool of mentors and mentees, this approach strengthens the quality of mentorship matches while enabling SPOs to work together seamlessly. 

Through Snapp, mentors and mentees were carefully matched based on professional backgrounds, shared interests, and hobbies, creating a foundation for building genuine rapport and fostering meaningful, supportive relationships. This personalized approach enabled mentors to provide guidance tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of each newcomer. By connecting mentees with mentors who understood their professional fields, we empowered newcomers to receive insights and advice from seasoned professionals, offering a pathway to develop essential skills, gain industry-specific knowledge, and build confidence as they navigated their career paths in Canada.

Mentors supported newcomers by sharing practical advice, helping them understand workplace culture, and offering networking tips essential for their chosen fields. These connections became accessible relationships where mentors offered encouragement and motivation, guiding mentees through the challenges and opportunities of building a career in a new country. This approach also allowed us to identify the tools and resources necessary for service provider organizations (SPOs) to collaborate effectively, meeting both staff and newcomer needs through a unified platform tailored to enhance mentorship for long-term success.

Alongside the generous funding from the Mariam Assefa Fund through World Education Services, Snapp is honored to have received support and recognition from additional key partners:

• YVR Cares Award: This award, presented by the Vancouver Airport Authority, included a $10,000 contribution as part of their social impact program. The Vancouver Airport Authority became an active partner, providing mentors from various professional backgrounds to welcome and support newcomers.
• Women’s Economic Council: Their support was instrumental in incorporating a gender-based lens, enriching the platform’s responsiveness to the unique needs of diverse newcomer women and mentors.

The Snapp pilot offered valuable insights into what settlement organizations need from a shared digital platform to collaborate effectively. Our pilot highlighted the need for a tailored, in-house platform, one that avoids reliance on third-party solutions, allowing for customization features that address the unique needs of service provider organizations and newcomers directly. To learn more about the pilot’s findings, click here to read our final report in French or English.