08: Mentor Preparation and Training

Standard of Practice: The mentoring program offers robust preparation for mentors — most often in the form of a mandatory multi-hour training event — prior to any mentor beginning work with a young person, with additional training offered over the course of their relationship. This training should provide mentors with information critical to their success in the role while also building their confidence for the experience and a sense of collaboration with staff around fulfilling their role.

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Practices Supporting this Standard

The program requires a multi-hour pre-match training that prepares mentors for their role prior to beginning any work with youth.

The specific content of pre-match mentor training will vary depending on the population of youth served and the program’s theory of change. The following topics and delivery methods are recommended:

  • Program values, beliefs, and ethical principles (see Element 1).
  • The program’s theory of change, including intended program outcomes and the relationship processes contributing to those outcomes (Element 2).
  • Program requirements, rules, and expectations for participation (e.g., the expected frequency and duration of mentoring interactions, rules for mentor and youth behavior, relevant policies and procedures, check-ins with staff and reporting on mentoring activities, etc.).
  • Engaging in program activities and using program materials (e.g., use of an activity curriculum or completing specific tasks using program materials).
  • Information about the youth the program serves, their caregivers and families, and their community context, as relevant to the work mentors will engage in.
  • Youth safety, red flags, and mandatory reporting of suspected abuse.
  • Seeking help with the mentoring relationship, the role of program staff in supporting their experience, and the mentor’s responsibility for participating in relationship check-ins.
  • Description of the mentor role and the typical range of mentoring activities and experiences.
  • Setting realistic expectations for their relationship with youth.
  • Common challenges in mentoring relationships and how to establish appropriate mentor roles and boundaries.
  • How to initiate, maintain, and transition out of mentoring relationships including the critical importance of positive closure experiences.
  • Working effectively with caregivers and other adults in the youth’s life.
  • Improving mentors’ cultural responsiveness and inclusiveness.
  • Key mentoring skills, such as active listening, expressing empathy, growing social capital, advocacy, supporting youth goal setting and pursuit, or other relevant forms of mentor support.
  • Training lasts a minimum of two hours or as long as needed to sufficiently cover all the information the program has deemed necessary for mentors to know before they start mentoring.
  • Training is delivered in person or using a blended learning approach (i.e., in person and online).
  • Training information is presented in multiple formats (e.g., verbally, in print, using infographics) to appeal to a wide variety of learning styles.
  • Training information is accessible for mentors with disabilities.
  • Training includes role-plays, mentoring scenarios, or other opportunities for mentors to practice and apply newly learned concepts or skills.
  • Training includes learning checks and an assessment of mentor knowledge or skills to gauge the effectiveness of the training and help improve it over time.
  • The training is evaluated for effectiveness and areas of improvement by soliciting feedback from participating mentors.

The program uses training as an additional opportunity to assess prospective mentors’ suitability for participating in the program, screening out mentors who do not seem capable of adhering to the program’s behavioral expectations or values.

While mentors may have been formally “accepted” into the program prior to receiving training, practitioners should view pre-match training as an additional screening opportunity that can identify mentors who may not be able to follow program rules or whose behaviors might lead to harm for youth participants, their caregivers, or even staff.

The program requires ongoing training for mentors on topics relevant to the program model or to address common challenges in mentoring relationships.

It is recommended that programs offer ongoing mentor training at multiple points during the mentor’s commitment to the program. The frequency of these trainings will differ among programs based on need. These trainings should be required of all mentors, and programs should have practices in place to ensure that all mentors participate (e.g., offering recordings of the trainings, holding the same training at multiple times), with policies stipulating the potential consequences for not completing the required training. While the content of ongoing training will differ across programs, the following topics are suggested for these learning opportunities:

  • supporting youth through upcoming times of transition in the mentoring relationship (e.g., in anticipation of match closure or re-commitment);
  • supporting youth in transitions in their lives (e.g., matriculating to high school, leaving the child welfare system, preparing for a first job); and
  • having difficult mentor-youth conversations about behavior change, traumas recently experienced, or community or societal issues.

Note that the training delivery recommendations for pre-match training also apply to ongoing training events, although programs may choose to offer some ongoing training in a self-paced, recorded format.  

Because there is tremendous diversity in how and where mentoring is delivered to young people, here we offer additional practices and recommendations related to this Element for some common mentoring contexts. Readers should note that there may be overlap in the following categories (e.g., a peer mentoring program in a school or a Boys & Girls Club offering a group mentoring program on-site) and read all that may be relevant to their work. The next recommendations can help prepare both volunteer and staff mentors for their role and participation in the program.

GROUP MENTORING MODELS

Mentors in group programs may need more robust pre-match training that covers topics such as group management, supporting healthy group dynamics and, when relevant, facilitating sequenced activities and conversations using the program’s curriculum. Because of these additional topics, mentor training should extend beyond the minimum of two hours generally recommended. While the exact length of training will vary from program to program, those reliant on complex group activities or skill-building work may offer half, full, or even multiday pre-match training to mentors, depending on the volume and nature of the content covered. Additional training topics for group mentors may also include:

  • Collaboration and co-facilitation with other mentors (for team models in which multiple mentors work with a group).
  • Strategies for developing close, effective relationships with all group members and treating all mentees equitably;
  • Strategies for encouraging group members to participate in activities, building group norms and rituals, and generating feelings of belonging in the group.
  • Guidance for when scheduled or sequenced activities can be deviated from while still maintaining the fidelity of the program model and mandated activities.
  • Strategies for handling negative group dynamics (e.g., cliques, conflicts, scapegoating, nonparticipation).
  • Strategies for group decision-making, and handling disagreements and disruptions to group activities or conversations.
  • Confidentiality in a group setting.
  • Handling times of transition and closure (e.g., departures and additions of group members).

Group mentors may also need more frequent ongoing training, especially in alignment with upcoming activities they are expected to design or facilitate.

PEER MENTORING MODELS

Because the mentors in a peer or near-peer model are youth themselves, there may be a need for additional pre-match training beyond the minimum recommended two hours. However, because youth may have more limited attention spans than adults, programs might consider breaking up lengthy trainings into smaller units delivered over several days. Factors such as the age of the peer mentors and their prior experience in related positions will influence the amount and focus of training, but it is expected that peer mentors may need focused or expanded training on topics such as:

  • Understanding the mentoring role and providing positive role modeling.
  • Facilitating program activities using provided materials or curriculum.
  • Setting boundaries, maintaining confidentiality, appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, relationship-building strategies, and other topics that support healthy peer interactions.
  • How to ask for support when the relationship or an activity is not going well.
  • Programs that send peer mentors to external sites should train mentors in how to check in when arriving and rules governing visitors at the site or campus, as well as any transportation rules or procedures.

Peer mentors may also need more frequent ongoing training, especially in alignment with upcoming activities they are expected to design or facilitate.

E-MENTORING MODELS

Programs in which mentors and youth communicate primarily through online or virtual methods have several additional recommended training topics that may add to the amount or duration of their pre-match or ongoing training. These programs may gain some efficiencies by training mentors, at least in part, using the same technology they would use to communicate with the young people they mentor (e.g., via web-conferencing software or in a virtual mentoring platform the program has developed). Additional recommended topics include:

  • Use of the communication technology or software used for mentor-youth communication and mentoring engagements.
  • Technical support offered by the program for technology issues. 
  • Frequency of mentor-mentee communication and response time expectations.
  • Skills for virtual communication including building rapport when not in person, tips for being personable online, understanding online etiquette, and nuances of online discourse (e.g., text slang, memes, emojis, gifs).
  • Icebreakers, conversation prompts, and recommended (or required) activities.
  • Online safety and security.
  • Maintaining confidentiality and privacy online.
  • Rules about additional contact outside of the program’s preferred methods, including in-person contact and connecting on social media or through other online tools.

SCHOOL- AND OTHER FORMAL SITE-BASED MODELS

Formal programs set in schools, youth development organizations, or other institutional sites will likely have many training needs that are unique to their setting and context. It should be noted that scheduling of training can be complicated for these sites, as staff often have limited time to train or be trained while the program is operating, and youth are being served. Bringing in volunteers for training during these times can also be challenging. This may mean offering training during times when the organization is closed or on weekends (which can create logistical challenges) or offering training asynchronously using video or online teaching tools. Regardless of how their preparation gets completed, site-based programs must ensure that all mentors get thorough pre-relationship training. Recommended topics for school- and site-based programs include:

  • Procedures for checking in when arriving and rules and policies governing visitors at the site or campus.
  • Navigating the site and where to access resources used in the program.
  • Interacting with school or program staff and who to contact on the staff for various needs (e.g., relationship advice, help with an activity).
  • Facilitating program activities using provided materials or curriculum.
  • How the mentor role differs from that of other adults or peers in the program setting — for example, how volunteer mentors differ from volunteer tutors in that context or the dual role a mentor might have if they are also staff at the site.
  • Rules for communicating with youth outside of program time.
  • Appropriate engagement with other students — both with other program participants and other students not participating in the program.

INFORMAL MENTORING MODELS

For youth development programs offering informal mentoring via staff members, most of the topics recommended for mentors in formal programs will also apply. For staff members who may informally mentor, recommended training topics include:

  • Differentiating the mentoring role from their other duties and responsibilities in the organization.
  • The role mentoring plays in relation to the other services and supports the organization offers and the mentoring-specific outcomes hoped for mentored youth.
  • Confidentiality, setting boundaries, and limits of the mentoring role in the context of the organization.
  • Using program resources (e.g., financial, physical space, equipment, supplies) for mentoring activities.
  • Policies and procedures around the scheduling and location of mentoring activities, including off-site activities and transportation, as relevant.
  • How long does our pre-match training need to be to cover the issues that are central to our program model? What would it take to reasonably cover the content for which we need everyone to be on the same page?
  • What topics need to be covered in our training? Does our training content support key components in our theory of change? And have we developed easy-to-understand materials (e.g., tip sheets, handouts, mentor handbooks, etc.) to guide mentors?
  • What are the goals of our mentor training? How can we use training to ensure that mentors:
    – have a strong understanding of the program’s values and ethical principles;
    – know how to engage effectively in the activities of the program;
    – know how to handle challenges (both crises and smaller obstacles) that may come up;
    – can work effectively with both youth and their caregivers; and
    – can follow program rules and procedures?
  • How does our program prepare and support our mentors to work with young people from different backgrounds, including youth of color, LGBTQIA2S+ youth, and youth with disabilities?
  • How often, and on what topics, might we want to offer ongoing training?
  • How will we ensure that mentors attend our trainings and get the skills we hope to instill in them? What barriers might prevent mentors from attending trainings? How can we enforce that required trainings are attended by all?
  • How can we utilize program alumni (both mentors and youth) in designing and delivering training?
  • Ask your program’s mentors what they wish they had known before they started mentoring. Solicit their input on training topics and best methods for delivery.
  • Engage current mentors or program alumni to help deliver training to new mentors.
  • Ask young people (and their caregivers, as appropriate) about the skills, temperaments, and knowledge that they wish their mentors had or things they feel their mentors have struggled with. Their perspectives on what they want in a mentor are invaluable in designing the right training for future mentors.
  • Ask subject matter experts from other community organizations to contribute to the development or delivery of mentor training, especially if they have expertise lacking in your staff.
  • Mentors, youth, and caregivers can be excellent sources of topics for ongoing training, especially if they are experiencing common challenges that additional learning could alleviate.
  • Ask mentor-youth dyads to script or film a role-play on how they might overcome a specific challenge or obstacle in their match to share in mentor training.

Programs may want to set benchmarks and track progress around metrics such as:

  • The duration of each training offered.
  • The percentage of mentors who complete pre-match training prior to beginning their match.
  • If offering more than one modality of training (e.g., in-person, online), the percentage of mentors completing training in each modality.
  • Ratings of training quality and satisfaction.
  • Pre-post assessment of knowledge gained in relation to learning objectives.
  • The number and percentage of mentors who attend each ongoing training opportunity.
  • The number of ongoing trainings offered during a given program cycle and the topics included.

Becoming a Better Mentor: Strategies to Be There for Young People. MENTOR.
This resource includes chapters on several topics recommended for inclusion in mentor training.

Developmental Assets Framework. Search Institute.
Defines the internal and external skills and supports all young people need to thrive. Available for download in multiple languages.

Mentor Training–Fostering Progress. Silver Lining Mentoring.
This webinar discusses how to assess learning during mentor training and how mentor screening and training influences ongoing match support.

Ongoing Training for Mentors: Twelve Interactive Sessions for U.S. Department of Education Mentoring Programs. National Mentoring Resource Center.
This training guide provides 12 ready-to-use training activities designed to enhance mentors’ skills and support their relationships with youth over time. Topics covered include setting boundaries with youth, exploring culture and identity, effective communication, and working with the mentee’s family.

Peer Mentor Handbook. Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
A training guide designed for younger peer mentors that provides guidance for starting the mentoring relationship.  

Trauma Training Facilitator’s Toolkit. Communities In Schools.
A guide developed for educators that can help design trauma-informed training for mentors.