Mentoring
Mentoring is a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the mentee. Mentoring – the presence of caring adults offering support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example – has proven to be a powerful tool for helping young people fulfill their potential. Mentoring can help by:
· Improving young people’s attitudes towards their parents, peers and teachers;
· Encouraging students to stay motivated and focused on their education;
· Providing a positive way for young people to spend free time;
· Helping young people face daily challenges;
· Offering young people opportunities to consider new career paths and get much needed economic skills and knowledge; and
· Collaborating with other mentors to cover as many bases as possible to increase the effectiveness of your mentorship.
A mentor is an adult or a role model or peer who, along with parents and others, provides a young person with support, friendship, reinforcement, eye and mind opening experiences and constructive example. By using your influence and resources as a decision maker, you can bring new hope to young lives through the power of mentoring. And you’ll be surprised how much you will benefit, as well.
Mentor’s Role
A mentor is a caring, adult friend who devotes time to a young person. Mentors can fill any number of different roles, but they all have the same common goal: to help young people become high achievers and to discover their strengths.
Mentors should understand they are not meant to replace a parent, guardian or teacher. A mentor is not a disciplinarian or decision maker for a child. Instead, a mentor echoes the positive values and cultural heritage parents and guardians are teaching. A mentor is part of a team of caring adults.
By sharing fun activities and exposing a youth to new experience, a mentor encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces the young person to new ideas.
A mentor may help a young person:
· Plan a project for school;
· Set career goals and start taking steps to realize them;
· Make healthy choices about day-to-day life, from food to exercise and beyond; and
· Think through a problem at home or school.
Mentoring Setting
Mentors and mentees may find that their relationship begins by participating in a variety of activities in different settings: a trip to a park or a museum; or participation in sports or some other activity where the mentor and mentee may get to know each other better. Mentors and mentees might also meet at the child’s school once a week where they might talk over lunch that is something different than what is available in the school cafeteria and play games or work on schoolwork together. Some of the different settings where mentoring may occur are as follows:
In the community
· Takes place outside of specific sites; going to the movies, going to a park, etc.
· Can include tutoring, career exploration, life skills development, game playing and going to sports, entertainment or cultural events
· Typically asks the mentor for a commitment of at least one year
· Having a meal at a restaurant with mentee’s parent or guardian to share your past observations and future plans
In schools
· Takes place at school, either during or immediately after school hours
· Can include tutoring, game playing, class visits, teacher conferences and sports
· Make a commitment of at least one school year
In the faith-based community
Faith-based mentoring has a long tradition of instilling spiritual values and moral strength, key elements in mentoring. Mentoring puts faith into practice, and everyone benefits.
· Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults
· Takes place in a house of worship and reflects the values and beliefs of that religion Typically occurs after school hours and/or on weekends
· May include career exploration, life skills development, game playing and going to sports, entertainment or cultural events
· May serve young people from the congregation or from throughout the local community
In businesses
· Take mentees to a “workplace”
· Can include tutoring, job shadowing, career exploration and role playing
E-mentoring
· E-mentoring takes place via the Internet and lets mentors and mentees maintain their relationship by exchanging messages online
· Makes mentoring available to mentors and young people who otherwise might not be able to meet easily because of time or travel constraints
· Helps young people learn more about high-tech communications and improve their writing skills
· Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. (Some programs have a group of adults who mentor an entire group of young people. For instance, a group of engineers might advise an entire classroom of students)
· Offers young people a great way to find out about potential careers
· Enables young people to work with mentors on special projects
Conclusion
Few bonds in life are more influential than those between a young person and an adult. As you (begin) continue your journey (toward becoming) a mentor, you will need to thoroughly understand the basics of mentoring (before entering into) as you continue a relationship with a young person.
Look at a role with which you are probably already familiar. Most of us had a parent, teacher, supervisor, boss, or coach. Those people wore many hats. They acted as delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, counselors, and friends. As a mentor you will wear some of these same hats.
Mentors must understand the need to assume a number of different roles during the course of a mentoring relationship, but successful mentors also share the same basic qualities:
· A sincere desire to be involved with a young person
· Respect for young people
· Active listening
· Empathy
· See solutions and opportunities
· Flexibility, patience, and openness
· Generosity and unselfishness
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