07: Youth (and Caregiver) Preparation and Training

Standard of Practice: The mentoring program offers youth (and their caregivers, as relevant) a robust preparation experience, typically centered around a mandatory orientation or training prior to starting mentoring relationships that builds their skills and knowledge for participating effectively in the program, as well as offering ongoing training throughout their relationship.

Download Element 7
Download Checklist

Practices Supporting this Standard

The program requires all youth participants to attend a pre-match orientation, training, or “preparation” event that sufficiently prepares them for their role as a mentee prior to meeting with a mentor.

While the specific content of this training will vary in content and intensity across programs reflecting their theory of change, we recommend programs address the following topics using the delivery methods described below:

  • Program values, beliefs, and ethical principles (see Element 1).
  • Program requirements, rules, and expectations for participation.
  • Participating in program activities and using program materials (e.g., use of a standardized curriculum or completing specific tasks using program materials).
  • Seeking help with the mentoring relationship, the role of program staff in supporting their experience, and the youth’s responsibility for participating in check-ins with program staff.
  • Description of the typical range of mentoring activities and experiences.
  • Tips for initiating and maintaining mentoring relationships.
  • Setting realistic expectations for their relationship with the mentor, including information about the types of support mentors are (and are not) expected to provide and how they can maximize that support.
  • Staying safe in the relationship and information around mandatory reporting of suspected abuse.
  • Program processes for transitioning out of a mentoring relationship.
  • Training lasts a minimum of one hour, or as long as required to sufficiently cover all the information the program has deemed relevant for youth to know before they begin their mentoring relationship.
  • Training is delivered in person, ideally, or virtually (live, instructor-led) using technology (e.g., web-conferencing software).
  • Training includes role-plays, mentoring scenarios, or other opportunities for youth to apply newly learned concepts or skills.
  • Training information is presented in multiple formats (e.g., verbally, in print, using infographics) to appeal to as wide a variety of learning styles as possible.
  • Training information is accessible for youth with disabilities.
  • The training is evaluated for effectiveness and areas of improvement by soliciting feedback from participating youth.

The program offers ongoing training to youth on topics relevant to the program model and to common challenges in mentoring relationships.

While the topics that are relevant to a program will be somewhat unique to its circumstances, we recommend offering periodic training for youth participants on topics such as:

  • transitions in the mentoring relationship (e.g., in anticipation of match closure or re-commitment);
  • setting and pursuing goals with a mentor’s help;
  • broaching difficult topics with the mentor; and
  • finding future mentors.

When relevant, the program orients caregivers (or other important adults) to the program’s rules, expectations for their and the youth’s participation, and ways they can support the mentoring relationship.

The degree to which caregivers are involved in pre-match orientation and training will vary considerably from program to program. But in most mentoring programs, caregivers play an important role in making the mentoring experience functional and impactful. Their orientation and pre-match preparation should emphasize the following:

  • program values, beliefs, and ethical principles (see Element 1); and
  • program requirements, rules, and expectations for participation (e.g., frequency and duration of mentoring interactions, rules for mentor and youth behavior, relevant policies, and procedures).
  • the mentor’s role and the typical range of mentoring activities and experiences;
  • their role in facilitating mentoring interactions and working effectively with mentors and program staff;
  • setting realistic expectations for their child’s involvement and expected impact of the experience;how to form a strong, collaborative relationship with their child’s mentor;
  • youth safety, red flags, and mandatory reporting of suspected abuse; and
  • seeking help with the mentoring relationship and the role of program staff in supporting their experience.

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 youth and caregivers for participation in some common types of programs and settings.

GROUP MENTORING MODELS

Group mentoring programs may need to cover additional training topics for youth participants, including:

  • The youths’ roles in helping to establish and maintain group rules, helping to create a group culture, and how to get the most out of a group mentoring experience.
  • Information that describes the experience of participating in the group, the stages of group development, and the group’s existing or initial rules, goals, and rituals.
  • How to effectively handle group conflict or disagreement.

PEER MENTORING MODELS

Peer mentoring models may need to provide additional or more thorough training for younger mentees on topics such as:

  • Setting boundaries, maintaining confidentiality, appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, relationship-building strategies, and other topics that support healthy peer interactions.
  • Helping their peer mentors navigate the program location (e.g., community or recreation center, school building) and related transportation.

E-MENTORING MODELS

Because the mentoring in these programs will take place online, younger mentees will need additional training on:

  • Use of the communication technology or software used for mentor-youth communication and mentoring activities.
  • Technical support offered by the program for technology issues.
  • Frequency of communication and response time expectations.
  • Skills for virtual communication including building rapport when not meeting 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

The general practices recommended at the beginning of this Element should be sufficient for youth participating in formal school- or site-based programs, although these models may wish to spend more time in mentee training explaining 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 or the dual role a staff member mentor might have if they are also coordinating other activities or leading non-mentoring services. Schools or sites offering group or peer-led mentoring will want to consult those sections above.

INFORMAL MENTORING MODELS

When staff in youth development programs are providing informal mentoring, youth may need information that explains how mentoring support differs from, or complements, the other work of the organization. We recommend that when informal mentoring is available, youth-serving organizations should emphasize:

  • The procedures for requesting mentoring support or approaching a staff member or volunteer to provide mentoring.
  • The role mentoring plays in relation to the other services the program offers and the mentoring-specific outcomes the program hopes youth participants will achieve.
  • Confidentiality, setting boundaries, and limits of the mentor’s role in the context of the program and in relation to other staff members.
  • How long does our pre-match youth training need to be? What would it take to reasonably cover essential content for which we need everyone to be on the same page?
  • What can we do to make our training engaging, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate for young people?
  • What role(s) do caregivers play in our program?  What would be helpful for caregivers to know, given this role?
  • What topics need to be covered in our training? Have we listed all the things that need addressing? And have we developed easy-to-understand information to guide youth and caregivers?
  • What are the goals of our training? How can we use training to ensure youth and caregivers:
    – 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 certain situations (both crises and smaller challenges) that will come up;
    – can work effectively with mentors; and
    – can follow program rules and procedures?
  • How often, and on what topics, might we want to offer ongoing training? How can we increase the likelihood that youth (and/or their caregivers) will attend?
  • In what format(s) might we offer training(s) to ensure youth attend and get the most out of their participation?
  • How can we utilize program alumni in designing and delivering training?
  • If your program is based in a larger organization or institution, ask young people what mentoring might add to the overall experience of participating in the organization’s services. They will likely have good thoughts about the value-add of mentoring. Similarly, soliciting the input of caregivers can provide great insight as to what they hope mentoring can offer young people in alignment with other organizational services and supports.
  • Ask program alumni or currently participating youth with prior mentoring experience to help develop and deliver the orientation and training that newer mentees receive. They can also support ongoing training as issues and topics arise.
  • 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 youth training.
  • Youth can also play a role in evaluating the training they receive, offering feedback that will strengthen the training in the future and capturing the knowledge gained from the orientation and training they participated in.

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

  • The percentage of youth who complete their full pre-match training.
  • Youth ratings of training quality and satisfaction.
  • Pre-post assessment of knowledge gained in relation to learning objectives.
  • The percentage of caregivers who attend pre-match orientation and training.
  • Caregiver ratings of training quality and satisfaction.
  • The number and percentage of youth and caregivers who attend ongoing training opportunities.

For Parents with Children in Mentoring Programs: Guidelines and Ground Rules. The Resource Center via MENTOR and the National Recreation and Park Association.
A brief guide that includes examples of policies that can be shared with caregivers and families to help prepare them for the mentoring relationship.

Training New Mentees: A Manual for Preparing Youth in Mentoring Programs. Taylor, J. S., National Mentoring Center.
This guide discusses best practices and tips on preparing mentees for their mentoring relationship.