Youth Mentoring

Youth Mentoring

Mentoring has the potential to bring about positive change for many young people. Through its use of volunteers it harvests "social capital" by making the most of the wide variety of experience, training, skills and talents that exist amongst people who want to make a positive difference to their community. Like adults, young people are social beings, who live their lives in the context of their relationship with others. The goal of Youth Mentoring is to connect to young people, forming a positive relationship that is based on empowerment, altruism and mutuality, thus laying an important foundation for young people to move towards ever more positive outcomes and behaviours.

Key concepts in Youth Mentoring are friendship, guidance and relationship. A useful definition of Youth Mentoring is "the process by which a more experienced, trusted, guide forms a relationship with a young person who wants a caring, more experienced person in their lives, so that the young person is supported in growth towards adulthood and the capacity to make positive social connections and build essential skills is increased". While adult mentoring tends to be specifically-focused within an organisation, mentoring children and young people is more developmental, changing according to the needs and interests of the young person that become apparent over time.

Youth mentoring occurs throughout communities, including naturally developing adult: child relationships, structured programmes, peer support in schools and also within the context of other, specific, roles such as teaching or social work. This guide notes in particular structured mentoring programmes, which embody important principles, but recognises that most Youth Mentoring continues to occur informally, arising from relationships that are formed when adults in other roles reach out and inspire young people. Much formal mentoring is based around schools, a natural arrangement that provides structure and protection for all involved.

For more information visit http://www.youthmentoring.org.nz/index.cfm