There are four women on Edmonton city council and, thanks to a mentorship program, there will probably be more in the future.

Rona Ambrose, minister for the status of women, announced nearly $200,000 in funding on Wednesday for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to put toward mentoring young women in leadership roles and encouraging involvement in politics.

“We need to begin at the basics,” Ambrose said, “by giving young girls and women a window to the world so many of us live and work in every day.”

Edmonton, the first city to take up the program after a pilot in Toronto, launched Opening the Potential last fall.

Kaylin Betteridge, 27, has learned a lot while shadowing Coun. Ben Henderson, including the discovery that running for council is more than just “sticking signs in the grass.”

“It has surpassed what I thought it would be,” she said, citing the importance of workshops, meetings and one-on-one time.