she.grows
she.grows is our peer-to-peer mentoring program targeted at women and gender non-conforming people in the music industry.
We strongly believe in the power of mentorship and paying it forward. Our community thrives with each of our members’ successes. If you grow, we grow. That’s why we developed she.grows - to encourage our members to share information and resources with one another.
As part of she.grows, participants commit to regular 1to1 meetings and or/phone calls for a pre-established period of time, as well as access to bespoke events, and resources and support via mentorship managers. Each edition of she.grows is different and aims to empower mentors and mentees alike.
We designed a mentorship model that is currently adopted by our partners worldwide and can easily be adopted by your company or initiative. If you’re interested in learning more about she.grows, please email us at hello@shesaid.so
2020
The pandemic disrupted our 2020 plans quite dramatically, much like many of our peers in the music industry. Fortunately, we’ve been able to adapt some of our mentoring programs to a new virtual format that ensure we can continue empowering our community to grow during the strictest lockdown conditions.
she.grows France & Italy
In 2020 we took our partnership with YouTube Music in Europe to new heights.
Inspired by our collaboration with YouTube Music at MEETSSS, she.grows France & Italy recruited a total of 48 participants: 24 mentees in France and Italy, and a mix of 24 local and international mentors as part of a 6-month programme.
During this time, mentors and mentees will take part in monthly 1to1 meetings, webinars, community sessions and other activities designed to supercharge their career. In addition, participants were awarded free membership access to the international shesaid.so community as well as other resources to help them make the most of their mentoring experience.
she.grows France & Italy is due to end in December 2020.
Click here to learn more.
we.grow: Keychange
Keychange commissioned shesaid.so to develop we.grow, a virtual mentoring programme for 74 women and gender minorities as part of its 2020-2021 edition.
Keychange is a pioneering international initiative funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union which transforms the future of music whilst encouraging festivals and music organisations to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Each year, the programme selects 74 emerging artists and innovators from across Europe and Canada to take part in international festivals, showcase events, collaborations and a programme of creative labs.
With three of the thirteen partner festivals postponed to later in the year, training sessions have been moved online. we.grow pairs Keychange 2020 participants with each other, as well as with participants from Year 1 of their scheme. Set up as a peer to peer monthly meeting, the programme will help participants to get the most out of their involvement in Keychange, as well as wider career goals and development.
For more info about Keychange please visit their website.
2019
In 2019 we took the original she.grows concept and created mini-mentoring schemes in partnership with some of our favorite industry events and brands around the world.
she.grows at MEETSSS, supported by YouTube Music
In 2019 we teamed up with YouTube Music to bring she.grows to MEETSSS, shesaid.so’s inaugural female-first, music-forward summit. Five mentees were selected via an open call and invited to attend MEETSSS on an all-expenses paid trip and take part in the mini-mentoring series we designed for the event. The mentors were selected from a wide range of industry experts speaking at MEETSSS.
As part of this collaboration, mentors and mentees alike took part in mentorship training sessions provided by our guest industry experts; guided mentor-mentee exchanges assisted by our shesaidso mentorship managers; and private 1to1 mentor-mentee meetings where all the real magic happens.
A panel discussion introduced our mentoring concept to MEETSSS attendees, featuring Jeanne de Boismilon (Google FR), Mary McGovern (Concord), Holly Manners (Warner Music UK), Shakira Payne (Sonos), and Chi Chi Nwakodo (Sony ATV).
she.grows at ADE
shesaidso Amsterdam teamed up with ADE University and ADE Beats to bring she.grows to Amsterdam Dance Event, the world’s largest conference bringing together the electronic music industry.
As part of the scheme, we invited 15 woman-identifying mentors from the global shesaidso community - each of whom has achieved success and influence within diverse sectors of the music industry - to mentor young professionals selected by ADE University. Throughout the ADE week, the 30 participants took part in a series of guided events, including introduction to mentoring, meet & greet, and closing brunch, as well as unstructured 1to1 interactions where the mentees had the opportunity to “shadow” their mentor at various ADE events and meetings.
Click here to watch the recap video.
she.grows x Musicians’ Union
The MU and shesaid.so have combined forces to support women in the industry by matching fellow musicians together, to help one another grow and succeed in their careers. This project sought to equip women with the tools and confidence to address any challenges they may face in fulfilling their career goals in the music industry. A key part of this is ensuring that women have the opportunity to meet, learn and be motivated by positive female role models from within the same industry.
A total of 20 woman-identifying members of the Musicians’ Union were invited to become either mentors or mentees and take part in our guided mentoring scheme taking place between May-November 2019.
2018
In 2018 we partnered with Sonos to launch she.grows 001, the first fully-fledged mentoring scheme featuring a total of 100 woman-identifying industry executives from the UK and India as part of a 6-month programme.
The 50 mentor/mentee pairs were selected from a range of 800+ applications from companies including Ninja Tune, Sony ATV, Cooking Vinyl, MPA Group, Kilimajaro, The Orchard, Deezer, Live Nation, Boiler Room, the FAC, Your Army PR, Universal Music, Sentric Music, Music Sales, Manners McDade, Imagem, MTV, AIM UK, Songkick, and Warner Music Group.
As part of this year’s program, the mentoring pairs will automatically become shesaid.so members and will take part in monthly events curated by the she.grows team as well as individual mentor/mentee meetings. The scheme ran between September 2018 and May 2019.
The 2018 pairs include:
40 pairs in the UK
5 pairs in India - in collaboration with Wild City
5 pairs worldwide - in collaboration with Sonos
If she grows, we grow.
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2017
she.grows launched in 2017 with a 4-month pilot program that paired 42 women from various areas of the music business in London.
The 21 resulting pairs were selected by a team of 6 industry leaders from Warner Music, Brits Diversity Committee, Boiler Room & Music Sales. The selection criteria included industry sector, professional compatibility, personal growth objectives and intersectionality.
As part of the program, the pairs benefited from monthly events curated by the she.grows team as well as bi-weekly individual meetups. The events included:
- Launch event sponsored by Music Ally
- Presentation on Self care in the creative industries from AMV BBDO
- CV Workshop for mentees and applicants, with a Senior HR representative from Warner Music Group UK
- Mental Health with Your Green Room
Some of our results:
500+ applicants
Mentors/mentees scored their satisfaction with their pairing 7/10 on average
94% said that they were able to communicate honestly and openly with their mentor/mentee
78% would recommend the scheme to a friend or colleague
At least 2 mentees were supported and empowered into new positions in the industry over the course of the scheme.
Many of the pairs continued working together for the rest of 2018.
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