What is mentoring?

Mentoring is a structured and trusted relationship that brings a young person together with a caring individual who offers guidance, support, and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the mentee.  A mentoring relationship is most often one-to-one, but some group mentoring relationships exist which entail one mentor with no more than four mentees.  Group mentoring of this nature allows for one-on-one relationships to be developed within a group setting.

What is a mentor?

A mentor is a trusted and faithful friend who listens, supports, and guides a young person on a consistent basis over a specified period of time.  To children, mentoring means having a trusted friend who cares about them and listens to them; a role model they can look up to and someone who will help them achieve their dreams.  The mentor is the one who initiates the flow of the relationship and invites the mentee to share and explore through open communication.  A mentor helps the mentee find out where they want to go and helps them find positive and effective ways to get there, while also helping them to grow and develop along the way.