Mentor programs work because they provide encouragement and guidance to each adolescent or child that participates.
Mentor or partnership programs connect people who have specific skills and knowledge (mentors) with individuals (protégés) who need or want the same skills and advantages to move up in work, skill level, or school performance. Participants in mentor programs , both young and old, share their values and personal goals in a mutually respectful, supportive way which leads to a more enriched life for both. Therefore, a successful mentor program helps break down barriers and creates opportunities for success.
here are many benefits of such programs for both the mentor and the protégés:
Among youth in mentoring programs, there have been recorded increases in:
Self-esteem levels
Regard for and comfort with members of other races
Ability to maintain satisfactory relationships with other adults
Decision-making ability in the career-choice process
Mentoring programs may noticeably increase school attendance among protégés in a mentoring relationship
Roles of non-familial adults in the lives of at-risk children have been shown to be beneficial in increasing resiliency and success in the face of adversity
In programs that specialize in youth mentoring, people from outside a youth’s everyday world cooperate to ameliorate a youth’s situation, giving the community a stake in her or his future
Mentor programs open new opportunities and understanding for mentors and protégés previously unavailable due to too many barriers, prejudices, or lack of options
Mentor programs offer a cheap, fast way to pass valuable skills and knowledge from person to person
Passing opportunities along from one person to another helps ensure that those living in a community have the ability to maintain and improve it
Being a volunteer mentor is an honor. Mentors and role models have a chance to “show off” their skills and enjoy successfully teaching someone something new
Good reasons for starting a mentor program
Partnership programs give people who don’t have many life options hope for a better future
Mentoring builds everyone’s self-esteem
The knowledge and alternatives gained through a partnership program allow teens and adults to explore different career possibilities not often available in a classroom or work setting
Mentor programs break down stereotypes surrounding certain professions and populations. Mentor relationships promote awareness of a community’s diversity
Partnerships build teamwork, whether learning occurs in school or on the job. Partnership programs provide great publicity for the mentor, who can show off her experience, and for the protégé, who can show off her new, marketable skills.
Adult-adolescent mentor programs:
Mentors provide adolescents with concentrated adult attention otherwise missing from their lives
Adults can model the importance of education, hard work, responsibility, and restraint as paths to success
Young protégés build self-confidence as they are accepted and supported by the adult world
Adults experience “the best of parenting” (this includes the development of a meaningful relationship with a youth, the chance to pass on a personal history, and the chance to teach) without the pressures of being legally responsible
Adult mentors broaden adolescents’ horizons and expose them to new experiences not available in their immediate environment
Adolescent-adolescent mentor programs:
Mentoring usually focuses on improving academic performance and school attendance
Students can provide peer tutoring, support and counseling
Adolescent mentors have fewer expectations and put less pressure on their protégés to meet their goals
The grades of both student mentor and student protégé generally greatly increase when combined with tutoring
