NCJ Number
160068
Journal
Home Front Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 1,7-8
Date Published
1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Mentoring programs give young people a view of the wider world, expose them to new living and working environments, provide new insights into challenges and rewards faced by adults, inspire young people to set goals and to have higher expectations for themselves, and cement lifelong relationships with adult friends and advocates.
Abstract
Mentors are role models who offer young people significant positive experiences at home and in the school and the community. Mentoring programs are designed to provide guidance by example, substitute constructive activities for inactivity or criminal activity, emphasize the importance of education and training, and foster responsibility among young people. Mentors must be screened, trained, and appropriately matched with their mentees. Mentors need a realistic understanding of their roles and limitations and must recognize the importance of lasting relationships with young people. In addition, mentors must be consistent in their participation over time, strive to be nonjudgmental, learn about the lives of their mentees, and involve young people in the mentoring process. Successful relationships between mentors and mentees are built on trust and shared responsibility, and children need to learn they cannot expect something for nothing. Resources available to establish a mentoring program are listed, as well as steps involved in planning and implementing a mentoring program.