Grow as a mentor, support new talent, break class barriers.

Join Break the wall

Young people from working class backgrounds don’t have an equal shot of making it in the creative industries. We’re working to change this.

Become a mentor

The representation of professionals from working class backgrounds has been declining for the last decade due to cuts to education, closed professional networks and the increased cost of living.

Today, just 16% of people in the creative industries come from working class backgrounds. As a result, employers are missing out on incredible talent and new voices who can’t break through the class ceiling.

Break the Wall is designed to support young people looking to break into the industry today, whilst upskilling those into the industry to help create long term change.

Break the Wall is a 16-week mentoring and training programme for creative professionals who want to grow as coaches, mentors, and managers while supporting the next generation of talent.

What is break the wall?

Each mentor is matched with a young person aged 16–25 from a lower socioeconomic background who is starting or building their career in the creative industries.

Over fortnightly sessions, mentors:

Share insights into how the industry works
Support skill development and confidence-building
Help mentees reach specific goals, from writing a CV to developing creative projects or progressing in their role

What mentors do

All mentors take part in 8 hours of training to develop practical skills in coaching, management, and inclusive leadership. Training covers:

Mentoring and supporting junior talent
Coaching techniques & inclusive management
Class diversity in the creative industries, and the role of social and cultural capital

By the end of the programme, mentors gain valuable experience in developing people, while helping to break down the class barriers holding back creative talent.

What mentors learn

We work with mentors across the creative industries in a wide range of roles. Break the Wall is best suited for mid to senior level professionals looking to progress or develop their skills supporting and managing junior team members.

You don’t need to be a creative to be a mentor, your role can be anywhere in the creative industry. We want to show the young people we work with the different types of roles that exist, break down misconceptions about what “creative” jobs are and provide real-world insights into industry roles.

We hand pick all our matches based on interests, skills and goals to ensure you feel confident to support your mentee.

Who can mentor?

This experience helped diversify my experience and gave me an opportunity to add (significant) value to a young person's career. In turn, helped me reflect how far I'd come that I can oﬀer advice to others. Would highly recommend others to partake.

Adrian Chua, Mentor, Amazon XCM
My mentor made me feel seen, which is something I didn't realise I needed after feeling so shut out of the industry. Having that support and accountability made such a diﬀerence for me, and I was extremely lucky to have gotten a mentor who understood my needs and pivoted to make sure she could give me the right resources.

Isra Mohammed, Mentee
We've partnered with Creative Mentor Network for over five years now to give our employees the exceptional experience of mentoring talented creative minds. Not only does the opportunity develop transferable skills for our employees but it also gives mentees access to a variety of diverse skill sets and tools to kick-start their careers.

Charly Fisher, Head of Folk Development and Experience, AnalogFolk Group
The training equipped me with essential skills and strategies and enriched my ability eﬀectively guide and support my mentee through their journey. The practical tools and resources provided were helpful in addressing challenges and building a productive relationship with my mentee. It has boosted my confidence and competence as a mentor.

Steph Ip, Mentor, Digitas
Having structured support to unlock the key skills needed to support, coach and mentor without relying on our innate tendencies was beyond valuable. It was as vital to have this as any other aspect of the course, and I felt it improved the quality of my mentoring.

Natasha Woodward, Chanel, Mentor
My mentor was fantastic in providing the best experience in terms of learning what the creative industry involved. Natasha was able to guide me into the right direction in terms of what I wanted in life and career. The programme has helped me develop confidence in myself and what I aspire to be, and given me clarity in what it means to be a creative.

Jeron Vincent Worrel, Mentee
Thanks so much for this wonderful programme! I have never had the chance to mentor, line manage or support someone earlier in their career than me, and I've found it super rewarding. Thanks so much again.

Grace Marsh, Mentor, Elmwood
I think the programme is excellent and the speakers you had were extremely motivational and inspiring. Keep up the impactful work.

Kerensa Ayivor, Mentor, Across the Pond

Register your interest

If you’re interested in mentoring for yourself or your team please complete the short form below and download the programme pack.

Frequently Asked questions

Mentees on Break the Wall are all 16-25 years old and are interested in pursuing a career in the creative industries.
All our mentees on Break the Wall come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, meaning they’ve had less access to the financial support, contacts and cultural know-how many others have to get ahead and make it in the creative industry.
Our mentees are interested in careers in every corner of the industry but don’t always know the different career pathways and roles that exist, which makes it more challenging to make it.
Some of our mentees are still in school, and others may already be working. As a mentor, you can help guide them on the next step of their journey by using your knowledge and networks, plus the tools we will give you.
Mentors on the Break the Wall are paired with mentees based on shared interests, goals, and backgrounds. The mentoring relationship is tailored to the specific needs of the mentees, whether that involves skill development, industry knowledge, or professional networking.
Throughout the 16 weeks, mentors will be required to attend four training sessions, and meet with their mentee for one hour every fortnight.
Over the course, this averages at one hour per week.
The programme is run in a hybrid model, with a balance of online and in person events to keep it accessible as possible.
Our programmes are primarily for mentors who are based in the UK. This is because of the nuances of socioeconomic diversity and class, and our focus on building networks for our mentees.
We operate across the UK, and training is hybrid to enable mentors to join from across the country. Some programmes will have in-person elements, but get in touch to understand how these work.
Break the Wall runs three times a year.

Our upcoming programmes are beginning in January 2026, April 2026 and September 2026.

Deadline for mentor sign ups close around 10 weeks before the programme to give our Outreach team enough time to find the right mentees for the programme.
As a charity, we are funded by our partners in the creative industries.

Programme fees covers the costs we incur through running our programmes and ensures our programmes free and accessible to young people from lower socioeconomic communities.
The cost per mentor is £1,195 + VAT for the 16 week programme.
Discounts are available for group mentor bookings, and freelancers.