Activities for Mentoring Teenage Boys

Underprivileged youth face many dangerous negative influences in their communities.

Mentoring teenage boys is your chance to give back, with your experience, wisdom and time, to kids in need. As a mentor, you engage kids in activities, showing them alternative ways to spend their free time and giving them the drive to overcome the negative influences in their communities. A mentor is a friend, but you are also a guide, sharing your hobbies and interests with boys who otherwise may never experience these activities.

Tutoring

As a mentor to a teenage boy, you can be a positive influence in his education by helping him work through his classroom problems. This includes helping the boy with his homework, explaining complicated concepts and even relearning some of the material yourself to help present the information to him. This one-on-one directed tutoring can help kids focus on confusing areas of the material and develop a better understanding. Beyond the tutorial help, this shows you have a positive interest in his schoolwork, inspiring him to remain dedicated to getting the education he deserves.

Community Service

Community service programs help young kids develop social skills, while working for the benefit of local communities. Select a community service program, such as Caritas, Meals on Wheels, a local nursing home or highway beautification program. Volunteer alongside your mentored youth and spend time together benefiting your community. Explain how these programs help people and how they give your youth a chance to give back to his community. Use these programs as character building activities, which also develop a desire to continue contributing to his community as he grows up.

Craft Project

A crafting project gives you the chance to teach crafting skills to your youth, while sharing in the experience of building something worthwhile. Choose a project around your home, a neighbor’s home or offer to build something for someone in his community. The project can include building a new car port, repairing an old fence or rebuilding an old car engine. Explain each step carefully, but let your youth work on the project with you and learn how to build things himself. Use this activity to spend time together, talk and develop an appreciation for building projects.

Teach a Hobby

You can share some of your favorite hobbies with your youth, developing his interest in these activities. Select a hobby you enjoy, such as golf, tennis, building models or cooking. Choose a few starting projects to show your youth how to get involved with the hobby, such as taking him to the driving range, playing a game of tennis, building a model car or cooking a nice lunch. Work with your youth, teaching him how to enjoy the hobby, while showing him how much you enjoy the activity. Use this activity to give your youth a safe activity he can enjoy in his free time, with you or on his own.

References

• College for Every Student; Peer Mentoring Activities; V.M. Wilkins; 2006
• Volunteer Guide; Mentor At-Risk Youth; Jamie Littlefield