How Mentoring Transforms Teens’ Lives

The Benefits of Mentoring Relationships

For both the mentor and mentee, mentoring establishes a positive and close-knit relationship that provides benefits to both parties.

For the mentee, it’s a chance to learn valuable knowledge, develop strategies for overcoming challenges and learn the confidence to ask for help. Mentoring programs are especially fundamental for teenagers who frequently face educational challenges, uncertainty about their futures, peer pressure and questions around self-worth. Having a mentor in these situations gives teens an alternate perspective and a source of wisdom and reassurance.

Other long-term benefits of being mentored include:

• healthier lifestyle choices
• improvements in academic achievement
• increased self confidence and self esteem
• better behavior
• more secure relationships with adults
• optimism about their own abilities

Mentoring offers benefits for the mentors as well. It’s an opportunity to share their experience and advice, develop their interpersonal skills, and build up their confidence in advising others. Mentoring also provides a high sense of fulfillment from making a positive difference in someone’s life.

Components of Mentorship

Youth mentorship contains four main components.

The first component is imparting decision-making skills. The mentor aids the mentee in making decisions by providing new strategies and advice that the mentee is unaware of as a result of having less experience of the world.

The second component of mentoring is the establishment of positive, trust-based relationships. The mentor is thinking in the best interests of the mentee, and the mentee trusts the mentor to share their current challenges.

The third, poignant element is comprehending and building upon individual strengths in order to put them to better use in the mentee’s life.

The final element of mentoring is the development of life and social skills, whereby the better outcomes based on improved concepts instill a sense of confidence. This builds more secure foundations for the mentee’s life and their future.

As someone that has had experience of mentoring, I have to say that it is one of the most rewarding things I have done. I was involved in a yearlong peer-mentoring scheme at school, which involved mentoring a younger student in academics and school life. Throughout the duration of the year, the student I was mentoring had shown a clear improvement in their attitude towards studying, and subsequently was achieving better grades. Being able to watch the development of my mentee and their growth towards attaining their goals was truly humbling for me.

More Mentors Needed!

Mentoring is a valuable service that prepares people for greater success in their social, educational and professional lives. More people need access to mentoring, especially teenagers and at-risk youth who are going through more change than any other age group.

Unfortunately, studies suggest that one in three young people does not have a mentor.

It is important to give youth the help and support they need in order for them to transform their lives for the better. That’s why programs like Big Brother, Big Sister and Soroptimist’s Dream It, Be It offer such tremendous value.

---

Arveen is a young blogger from London who enjoys writing poetry, playing violin, and motivating others to overcome life challenges. She lives by the mantra: Once in a while, blow your own mind. Define success on your own merit, achieve it on your own rules and build a life you are proud of and empowered by.