Helping young people has always been a passion of Mischa Peleg, who has spent years mentoring disadvantaged youth and volunteering in community youth programs. Peleg has always been one to say “yes” when asked to lend a hand, and his enthusiasm and genuine interest in making the world a better place is reflected in the time he devotes to helping others.
He is a firm believer that mentorship through volunteering is one of the best ways to teach young people. Showing our youth different paths to success by exposing them to real life scenarios is a powerful way to emphasize the value of hands-on experience.
Here is Mischa Peleg’s list of tips and suggestions for successful mentoring:
- Be a friend, not an authority figure. If you are going to mentor, then offer assistance, not parenting. Mentors are there to set a positive and inspiring example, not be another authority figure to dispense discipline or criticism to young people who may have already been let down by the adult role models in their lives.
Become a trusted source, so your mentee feels confident sharing concerns and challenges with you. You must establish trust to be an effective mentor.
- Be positive. Young people who are likely to benefit from mentoring have probably already experienced their fair share of negativity. Mentoring can be difficult because you must establish trust and a real connection before anything meaningful takes place.
It can be easy to feel frustration. Soldier on and keep smiling. You can make a difference simply by showing up and refusing to give up.
- Listen Carefully. Never underestimate the value of being a good listener. Young people in need of mentoring know what it is like to be directed, corrected, instructed and reprimanded. However, what they think is often overlooked. Make sure to ask your mentee what he or she thinks about something, so they become invested in the learning process.
Kids who are bystanders to the learning process may become disillusioned, disengaged or distracted. As a mentor, it is your job to do everything possible to keep them interested. Listening to their thoughts and ideas is a great way to earn their buy-in.
- Set realistic goals and expectations. Determine your mentee’s needs and then work together to figure out creative ways to address those issues. Take small steps if necessary and set realistic goals. Chart your progress and keep moving forward.
If something does not work out, switch your approach or establish a new goal. Always be encouraging. The purpose of mentorship is to offer help by example in a way that offers unconditional support.
- Have fun. Mentorship stems from relationship-building so have fun as your mentor-mentee relationship progresses. Learning can take place just about anywhere, so whether you spend time chatting in a park, go for a bicycle ride or look for books in a library, you are building trust and ensuring your relationship moves forward in a positive way.
Mischa Peleg is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist. Having founded several highly successful companies since the early 1990s, he uses his business success to support a wide range of non-profit organizations throughout the world. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.