How to Make Teen Mentoring Successful

Mentors can help a teen explore interests or passions.

For an at-risk teenager, getting involved in a successful mentoring program can have a significant impact on his future. Many at-risk teenagers do not have support from parents or older siblings, and thus need the positive influence of an adult. Mentoring programs can provide this support system if the program is successful. However, building a successful mentoring program can be tricky and involves the work of many individuals in the organization.

Instructions

1. Find and define your mentoring program's niche. You will need to determine what type of teenagers you are interested in mentoring. For example, if you want to mentor students who are interested in becoming doctors one day, your approach to developing a successful mentoring program would be quite different than if you were looking to create a program to mentor teenagers who suffer from alcoholism or gang violence.

2. Research the staff you are considering hiring before bringing them on board for your mentoring program. You should conduct background checks, drug testing and hold interviews for all mentors before assigning them to mentor a teen. Your teen mentoring program will surely be unsuccessful if you choose bad influences for mentors.

3. Write down your mentoring program's mission, values and objectives clearly so that all of the mentors that you bring on your team can uphold the same standards for each teen. Have each mentor carefully study these guidelines before assigning him a teen to work with. Hold training events or seminars in which you teach the mentors how to implement the mission and values into their mentoring.

4. Hold weekly meetings and create support groups for both the mentors and the teens who are being mentored. These meetings should be used to help solve any problems or difficulties that the mentors have experienced. Mentoring teens can be a difficult job and one that requires a lot of support, so offering support groups is a great way to ensure that your most successful and dedicated mentors stay with the program.

References

• George Washington University: Foundations of Successful Youth Mentoring
• American Medical School Association: Teen Mentor Program
• Volunteer Guide: Mentor At-Risk Youth