What is mentoring? Well, the concept is as old as time itself, but the origin of the word is based on a story.
The Greek poet Homer tells us how Odysseus left his son Telemachus in the care of his old friend Mentor.
Mentor guides Telemachus in the search for his lost father and his true heritage in The Odyssey.
Since then, there have been a few other mentors…

• George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first law professor in America,
  was the mentor of Thomas Jefferson.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi was certainly Luke Skywalker’s mentor.
• Harry Potter always counted on guiding wisdom from Albus Dumbledore
• Maya Angelou cites a grade school teacher who sparked her love of poetry.
• Remember Karate Kid? Yep, Mr. Miyagi was a mentor too.

Youth mentoring is a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with a caring
adult who volunteers their time to offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the
competence and character of the mentee. It occurs every day in a variety of settings.

Formal mentoring, the kind that takes place within an organization, provides a structured relationship that is used to amplify the impact of one-on-one guidance and support.

YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES

Mentors are regular people who are willing to share their interests and time with a young person.
If you have a special talent, maybe an interest in basketball, dancing, art or algebra, there is a
young man or lady looking to learn from you and with you.

MENTORING DOESN’T HAVE TO TAKE A LOT OF YOUR TIME

Whether you are available to volunteer one hour a week, 2-4 hours a month or only lunch-times,
evenings or weekends, there is a mentoring program out there for you! Imagine the impact
YOU can make in a young person’s life. Depending on the program, mentoring relationships can
last between nine months, to a year or beyond. 

MENTORS DON’T HAVE TO BE EXPERTS

Preparation is very important to a mentoring relationship.
Therefore quality mentoring programs, provide training and support for mentors.
We encourage you to take advantage of the training opportunities.

MENTORS DECIDE WHERE TO HAVE IMPACT

There are over 110 programs presently existing in Indiana.
You can decide to participate in a program that takes place close to your home or office,
in a school, community center, a faith community, or in your neighborhood across the state.
Mentoring is a powerful way to help young people achieve their potential:

• Improves attitudes towards parents, teachers and peers
• Focuses on the importance of education
• Confronts daily challenges
• Provides a positive structure for free time
• Highlights opportunities for career paths

The process of mentoring a young person differs from program to program and from person to person.
Mentor groups in some programs meet for lunch in the school cafeteria, while others choose to meet
in the community over pizza or ice-cream. Some meet at their local place of worship.

Some mentor groups enjoy working on projects together, others prefer going to a movie. The one thing all quality mentoring programs have in common is that they place a caring adult in the life a young person and provide the support to ensure an effective and healthy bond.