Relationships

Be a mentor or mentee

Mentor (say: men-tor) = A trusted counselor or guide. Mentee (say: men-tee) = Someone who is being mentored.

A mentor is someone who helps another person learn things that he or she would not have learned as well or as fast on his or her own. A mentor can be many things – friend, role model, tutor, or all of these at once.

There are two types of mentoring:

• School-based mentoring – The mentor and mentee meet at school and work on homework together. This helps the mentee do better in school.
• Community-based mentoring – The mentor and mentee meet outside of school. Mentors can play the role of friend, role model, and sometimes, tutor. One program you may have heard of is Big Brothers/Big Sisters, which works to bring adults and teens together. Some things a mentor and mentee might do together include going out to eat, going to a game, or working on homework together.

A mentor can offer a young person emotional support and friendship and can often be a good source for advice. In fact, teens often talk to their mentors about things they might not feel okay talking about with their parents/guardians.

If you want to find a mentor or become one, ask your parents/guardians to help you. A good place to start is Mentor, a group that helps connect mentors and mentees.

When looking for a mentor, try to find one who likes the same things you do.

Last updated December 2007