Mentoring is defined as a relationship between an experienced and a less experienced person in which the mentor provides guidance, advice, support and feedback to the mentee to support their future experience and growth.

The goal of PEPA mentors is to share palliative care knowledge with PEPA participants.  This sharing of knowledge supports the participants to take back to their work environment for integration into providing care for patients in their care.  Culturally safe, culturally responsive mentoring is part of this process.

The most critical ingredient in effective mentorship is that of relationship [4].  As such, the benefits of mentorship are not and should not be one-directional but are mutual to the mentor and mentee and the organisation (if any) involved in hosting this relationship [5].

Mentorship is seen also as a crucial component of professional development, as it has the potential to improve the resilience of future generations of health care professionals. Among key points, the importance of cultural awareness or competence has been highlighted as having a significant positive bearing on the relationship between mentor and mentee [6].