Black Student Mentorship Program

The Black Student Mentorship Program (BSMP) was established in 2020 to create community among Black students and faculty at McMaster. Black Student Mentorship ProgramThe program’s core objectives include improving Black student academic performance, strengthening awareness of resources, creating a safe space for relationship building among peers and faculty, and fostering a sense of belonging within the wider McMaster community. BSMP is an initiative developed by the African Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster (ACFAM) designed as a four-tiered system; professors mentor graduate students, graduate students mentor upper-year undergraduate students, and upper-year undergraduate students mentor first-year undergraduate students. BSMP matches first-year and upper-year undergraduate students based on interests and background and the other tiers based on academic background. All our mentors will use their experiences to help their mentees navigate academia as Black students. BSMP’s educational priority is to mentor each student using their lived, academic and professional experience to increase their sense of belonging, confidence, self-esteem and social capital. We offer mentorship opportunities to students of all identities across all faculties: