Be a Mentor!

The description of a mentor is just a wise and trusted friend. Research shows that the more caring adults a young person has in their life, the easier their transition will be from youth to adulthood. Parents can be great mentors, but they can't do it alone; young people also need older siblings, aunts, grandparents, and other caring adults in the community to talk to and learn from.

There are many different types of mentors. Traditional mentoring is where one youth and one adult connect on a regular basis, but other types of mentoring exists as well, including group or team mentoring, peer mentoring, and e-mentoring. Young people of all ages need mentors, from kindergarten through college. A mentor can give guidance and support around reading, careers, school, parenting, or any other area that a youth may need support in. A mentor might live in the same city as the youth they are mentoring, or these days with computers--and e-mail mentoring--they may live a thousand miles away!

Most of the time mentors are volunteers. If mentors are working through a community organization, they should recieve training on the do's and don'ts of mentoring. Many programs also do background checks and interest inventories with the adults so they will be good matches for youth.

The most important point of mentoring is to develop strong relationships between youth and adults. With older youth, the youth and mentor should develop goals together. The young person should think about the area (or areas) they would to improve or need support in, and the mentor should provide guidance to help the youth achieve his or her goals. The greatest challenge may be for the youth to accept help from adults, so building trust in the relationship is very important. Mentoring is not only about support and guidance...it is about having fun too!

If you are interested in being a mentor (or if you are a youth who wants a mentor), check out these websites:

Oregon Mentor (OM)
www.ormentor.org
Oregon Mentor is committed to the expansion of quality programs that provide mentors for young people in Oregon. OM offers a statewide database of mentoring programs. Check out their site to learn how to become or be a better mentor, find a mentor, or for a listing of mentoring programs throughout the state.

Friends Of The Children
www.friendsofthechildren.org
Friends of the Children is a revolutionary mentoring program that believes that every child deserves unconditional love and a world of opportunities. Chapters in Portland, Eugene, Salem, and Klamath Falls.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America
www.bbsa.org
Big Brothers, Big Sisters has been a great mentoring program for nearly a century; it is the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the United States. Check out their website to find out how to get connected to Big Brothers, Big Sisters in your community.