Mentoring
Touching a Life



Mentoring is a great way to give back to your community. Whether you choose to mentor a child or an adult both can be equally rewarding. Your time and talents can be used to touch someone’s life and leave a lasting impression.

To mentor a child or young adult you can look for organizations like Big Brothers/ Big Sisters to volunteer some time. For most of the youth you will be providing a positive adult influence in their life that they may not get at home. Mentoring is showing them what is possible in the future and teaching them that all dreams are possible and helping them along their path to make that dream a reality.

When you first sign up to be a mentor, it is normal to be nervous at that first meeting. To prepare before the meeting ask the organization what information they can provide to you about the mentee, keeping in mind that all the information you gather initially and afterward should be kept confidential. When you get that information from the organization review it and make a list of questions you might want to ask. Remember to keep it light and not like an interrogation. Ask about interests and dislikes.

It is okay to set some goals. Youth goals may be about socialization which can lead to other things like building self esteem and confidence. I they are interested in learning new things about a topic, field trips to certain places could be incorporated into the goals you set together. For instance, if your mentee is considering college visiting colleges and touring the campus might be appropriate.

Other than mentoring for an organization you can also mentor an adult who is new to your profession. Your company can assign you someone you can mentor or it can simply be someone you need at work and take under your wing. If there is no one at work you can mentor you can try to meet someone through a professional organization in which you are a member.

As you build a relationship with your mentee and your relationship grows the goals may change and that is okay. Change equals growth. There may come a time when you stop being a mentor and more of a friend to your mentee. That is perfectly fine as well. That means that you have been successful in reaching your goals together. It may be a time when you take on another mentee and your first mentee becomes a mentor too. One final word of advice, the mentee/mentor relationship will not happen over night, but is a process that evolves over time. Consider being a mentor and touching someone’s life.