KEY TRAITS

Look for four key traits in a prospective mentor:

1. Dependable (keeps commitments, shows up on time, follows through)

2. Adaptable (shows the ability to overcome adversity in his or her personal
and/or professional life)
3. Respectful (adheres to program and family rules, interested in learning about
the experiences of others, nonjudgmental)
4. Resilient (can handle common youth testing behaviors and is not particularly
rejection-sensitive)

TOPICS FOR MENTORS (PART 1)

Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring (4th edition) recommends training
mentors on more than two dozen topics. With so much to cover, its easy to see why
training would need to last at least two hours but more likely take six or more hours.

Appropriate physical contact

Contact with mentoring program (e.g., whom and when to contact)
Relationship-monitoring requirements (e.g., response time, frequency,
schedule)

Approved activities
Mandatory reporting requirements associated with suspected child abuse or
neglect, as well as suicidality and homicidality
Confidentiality and anonymity
Digital and social media use
Overnight visits and out-of-town travel
Money spent on the mentee and mentoring activities
Transportation
Emergency and crisis situation procedures
Health and medical care
Discipline
Substance use
Firearms and weapons
Inclusion of others in mentor-mentee meetings (e.g., siblings and mentees
friends)
Photo and image use
Evaluation and use of data
Grievance procedures
Other program-relevant topics

TOPICS FOR YOUTH AND PARENTS/GUARDIANS

Sample agenda
 Purpose of mentoring
Program requirements
Parent/guardian and mentee goals for mentoring
Mentors obligations and roles
Mentees obligations and roles
Ethics and safety
Initiating the relationship
Effective closure
Risk management policies (use the same topics as for mentors)
For parents/guardians, include Developing an effective, working relationship
with your childs mentor

IMPORTANT CRITERIA TO CONSIDER

Similar background (racial, ethnic, cultural, or linguistic)
Language requirements
Geographic location
Availability/schedule
Shared or compatible interests
Mentees needs and strengths
Mentors skills and strengths
Life experience
Shared values
Temperament
Personality traits
Mentor, mentee, and parent/guardian preferences
Program goals
Mentoring experience
* The mentor should be at least three years older than the mentee

HOW TO DESIGN A FIRST MEETING

1. Arrange the initial meeting for the pair. This meeting should include the
parent(s)/guardian(s) and take place at the mentees home if the mentor will
be picking up the mentee for outings
2. Provide the mentor and mentee with background information about each other
3. Plan to attend the meeting to make introductions and review program details
4. Review your programs rules, requirements, and risk management policies
5. Have each party sign a commitment agreement to formalize the match

QUESTIONS TO ASK
How is your match going?
How and how often did you communicate with your mentee last month?
What kinds of activities do you do together?
How do you decide what activities to do together?
Hows your mentee doing?
 What are you doing to build your relationship with your mentee? Hows it
going?
Have you noticed any changes in your mentee since we last spoke?
What, if any, interactions have you had with your mentees family? How did
they go?
How can I be of support?

TIPS FROM EXPERTS

An appropriately timed closure process is key for effectively closing a youth
mentoring relationship. Even under non-ideal or unexpected circumstances, healthy
closure provides mentees with an opportunity to reflect on their experience.
Philosophy:

Be clear and honest

Keep it positive!
Develop appropriate and realistic plans for continued communication
Management:

Develop a policy and process for managing both anticipated and unanticipated
closures
Use tools to support the closure process
o Exit interviews
o Formal closure agreement
o Continued contact form (when necessary)

Ideally, a mentor should be able to:

Explain how the organization is structured
Be respected as an experienced and successful professional in the organization
Support the organizations mission, vision, and goals
Stay accessible, committed, and engaged during the length of the program
Listen well
Offer encouragement through genuine positive reinforcement
Be a positive role model
Share lessons learned from their own experiences
Be a resource and a sounding board
To properly manage your program, you must create at a minimum, the
following documents:
Applications (for mentees and mentors)
Confidentiality Agreement
Mentoring Agreement
Mentee Action Plan
Mentoring Log
Evaluation Forms