Support from Caregivers is key to successful mentoring relationships
When parents, guardians, and other caregivers work in concert with mentors and program staff, it’s more likely that mentored youth will experience positive outcomes from the mentoring relationship.
There are key benefits for caregivers as well. Mentored youth may experience improvements in their relationships with caregivers; that improved relationship makes youth more likely to experience many positive changes including their sense of self-worth and academic achievement.
The Mentoring Effect
Young People's Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring
A report for MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership that details young people's perspectives on mentoring, including the connection between their mentoring relationship and aspirations, the value of mentors, and the availability of mentors.
Why Mentoring is Important for Caregivers
Having a caregiver who believes in the value of mentoring and encourages youth to engage in mentoring can positively impact a young person’s commitment to and success in their mentoring relationship. Here are a few key reminders to support your young person's mentoring relationships:
Communicate
Communicating your values, rules, time limitations, or other needs to the mentoring program staff is critical to your child’s success in the program.
Check In
As the mentoring relationship grows stronger between your child and their mentor, talk with your child about how things are going. Check in often and let your child know that you care about the success of their mentoring relationship.
Encourage
Encourage your child to actively participate in the mentoring relationship, and let program staff know when your child is encountering challenges that their mentor can help with.
Engage
Engage positively with your child’s mentor (to the extent allowed by your mentoring program). Ask program staff for guidance on how you can work with your child’s mentor to support the success of their relationship.
Learn
Attend the program’s orientation session (if they have one) so you can learn about how the program works and what your role in supporting the relationship is.
Mentoring for Mentors
Youth Mentoring Collaborative is proud to share vetted resources for individuals looking to improve their mentoring skills.
Mentoring for Programs
Here, you'll find a collection of resources on best practices for youth mentoring programs.
Mentoring For Youth
Explore toolkits, written guides, and webinar recordings for mentees, peer mentors, and youth.