Context:

There is little doubt that youth need caring and consistent interactions with adults, and organizations are increasingly developing programs that create mentoring relationships. Being a mentor might feel natural to some people, but it isn't easy. Training is essential to help mentors create and sustain long-term relationships. An orientation for new mentors might include topics such as defining mentoring, communication and trust-building, appropriate roles and boundaries, program specific guidelines, and goal-setting. This activity can be used as an introductory activity for orienting new mentors, and/or as a follow-up activity to Who Made a Difference for You? It can also be a valuable component of tutor training, as tutors should be aware that they will sometimes be perceived as mentors by the children with whom they work.

Goal:

To help new mentors generate and agree on appropriate and inappropriate mentor roles

Activity:

On a flipchart or whiteboard, write: A mentor is...on one side and A mentor isn't...on the other. Draw a line between the two sides. Depending on group size, divide the group in half or make assignments to small groups. One side (or group) generates responses to A mentor is. The other side calls out responses to A mentor isn't. Record the responses. Facilitate discussion around any areas of disagreement. For example, some people may say that a mentor is a friend, while others may say that a mentor should not try to be a friend in the same way that a peer is a friend (a distinction that may be especially important when mentors and youth are close in age). Ask clarifying questions that help flesh out appropriate/inappropriate roles, such as What do you mean when you say that a mentor is not a counselor? In what ways can a mentor be a guide? Etc.

Key Questions and Points to Remember:

End by asking participants if they know the origin of the word "mentor." If they don't, explain that Mentor was the name of a family friend of Odysseus in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. When Odysseus left his family to fight the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his young son to his friend, Mentor. The word "mentor" has come down through time to mean "guide, role model, or trusted friend."