Mentoring

The Dam recently published a newsletter for Spring 2013 focusing specifically on mentoring. I was asked to write a piece for the cover which I thought I would share here as well.

Hope you enjoy!

I love movies! When I was a kid, going to the movie theatre was like an adventure! I still have vivid memory of my first couple visits and watching E.T. and Annie on the big screen. It was amazing!

“Youth are socially inept.”

“The youth aren’t cutting it.”

“Our youth feel so entitled; they’re always saying, ‘What’s in it for me?’”

Yesterday I went to a forum discussing youth employment. The employment rate for people 16 years old through their 20s is way down. This forum wanted to ask the question why?

One of the greatest things I get to do with The Dam is meet with youth one on one. When I am mentoring a youth I try to meet with them once a week for about an hour. It can take time for a teen to become comfortable with the arrangement.  I’m pretty used to getting stood up, particularly at the beginning, I think because many of us have some fear of getting close to someone and being vulnerable and honest, and mentoring at its best draws that out.