Mentoring Stories
- Lynn and Monica -- Grande Island, NE - Lynn and Monica entered the TeamMates mentoring program in 1999. They were already meeting regularly to read together at Walnut Middle School. "When Lynn and I became involved with TeamMates, I thought of it as a good opportunity to reach my dream to go to college," Monica said." Read More...
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BECOMING A MENTOR
Few bonds in life are more influential than those between a young person and an adult. As you begin your journey toward becoming a mentor, you will need to thoroughly understand the basics of mentoring before entering into a relationship with a young person.
Look at a role you are probably already familiar with. Most of us have had a supervisor, a boss or coach. Those people wore many hats. They acted as, delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. As a mentor you will wear these same hats.
Mentors 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 young people.
- Listen actively.
- Empathize.
- See solutions and opportunities.
- Be flexible and open.
As you and your mentee begin your communication; exploring values, interests and goals, you will find yourself making a difference and having a positive effect on a young person's life. What you may also be surprised to see is that you will be learning more about yourself, too. Mentoring is a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Mentoring doesn't just affect the young person.
Mentoring provides significant benefits. As a mentor, you will be
- Making a difference in someone else's life.
- Learning about yourself.
- Giving back and contributing to the future.
- Having fun.
If you're still not sure you understand what is expected of a mentor then just ask a young person. Good mentors are willing to take time to get to know their mentees, to learn new things that are important to the young person, and even to be changed by their relationship.
Accept the challenges and rewards of mentoring a child for a period of one school year (nine months) or longer and experience the benefits that will last each of you a lifetime.
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