Mentoring is the presence of a caring individual who provides a young person, or mentee, with support, advice, friendship, reinforcement and constructive role-modelling over time. Mentoring is a two-for-one initiative. That is, the match between a mentor and a mentee promotes the healthy development and mental health of both the youth mentor and the younger student mentee. Mentoring teaches young people skills and provides them with an opportunity to articulate their thoughts and feelings while improving academic performance and school completion, peer and family relationships and overall life success. Programs that engage youth as mentors in schools and communities promote positive mental health and well- being in youth mentors. Mentors experience enhanced self-esteem, develop competence in problem-solving, communication skills, understanding and empathy, and increase their sense of social responsibility. Youth mentors experience a heightened sense of belonging in their school and community by being a part of a social network and actively engaging in meaningful activities. Mentoring participants are encouraged to develop a friendship based on support, encouragement, motivation and a caring relationship – all important elements of positive mental health!
“We acknowledge that we are on and support Mentoring for Youth in the traditional territories across Alberta of the many First Nations from Treaty 6,7,& 8, the Métis of the 8 Alberta Settlements, and Inuit people whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries.”
