Cybermentor is an online mentoring program that matches girls aged 11 to 18 with professional women scientists and engineers or female students at Alberta universities who are studying science and engineering.

The primary goal of the Cybermentor program is to expand girls’ knowledge of careers, opportunities and benefits that exist for women in science and engineering fields. They have the opportunity to communicate with mentors from diverse fields, expanding their options for potential career paths in the process.

The second goal is to provide a motivation for girls to continue in their math and science studies through interaction with women role models who are studying and practicing in these fields.

Mentoring has been proven to have positive effects on the personal achievements of a girl by helping them understand the choices available to them. Studies show that mentored students report higher levels of self-confidence, higher academic achievements and gain a sense of community. This is particularly important in the fields of engineering and science since the under-representation of women in these fields results in low-levels of naturally occurring mentoring relationships. Online mentoring has been found to be as effective as telephone or face-to-face conversations – it’s the conversation that’s important, not how it’s done!