Mentoring and Connected Learning

Mentoring supports the connected learning principles: interests, relationships, and opportunity.

Interests

“…I have a young man who [is] very insecure about his writing ability. But after just offering my guidance, my assistance, and helping him develop who he is as a writer, he now frequently sends me some writing that he has done so that I can edit it and give him some suggestions on how to make it better.”

– Teen Librarian at an urban southern library

Mentoring relationships offer someone to generate ideas with, engage in discussion, or participate in activities and shared passions. A mentor can help youth develop established interests and discover new ones. Mentors can share their expertise and foster creativity through limitless activities, from robotics to sewing to open mic performances.

Relationships

Relationships are at the core of mentoring. Mentors and mentees must build trusting relationships in order to engage in activities in which they feel comfortable having fun together and learning from each other.

Supportive relationships with caring adults often reduce negative outcomes and can strengthen protective factors for at-risk youth. Youth themselves can serve as peer mentors for other youth, gaining leadership skills and learning from each other’s unique experiences. Mentoring relationships can provide a sense of belonging for young people in addition to their immediate family, friends, and school.

Opportunity

Mentoring experiences can support academic success, build career-related skills, or increase engagement between youth and their community. For instance, youth who face an “opportunity gap” but have a mentor in their corner may be more likely to enroll in college than those who do not. Mentoring experiences help young people increase their contributions within their community, and can promote educational achievement, career development, health, safety, and social and emotional support. Some libraries offer mentorship to teens through STEM career development, internship programs, and leadership experience.

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