Mentoring is multifaceted: it requires patience, understanding, dedication, compassion, and, most of all, remembering what it was like to be a girl.

Here are some tips: 

• Establish trust. This happens over time. Being dependable, reliable, and consistent facilitates the development of a trusting relationship. Remember, you may be your mentee’s only source of consistency in life.

• Listen. Take time to learn about the PERSON with whom you are spending time.

• Talk with your mentee about yourself and your life as well.

• Respect your mentee’s privacy and protect your own.

• Be honest, but remember that you are an adult.

• Set boundaries.

• Be a friend, but also be a role model.

• Sometimes, the girls can be overly inquisitive about personal issues. Questions or actions that make you feel uncomfortable are inappropriate. Explain why you feel uncomfortable about this situation. This will help your mentee understand the appropriate discussions and behavior with adults.

• Model appropriate behavior. Be aware of the behavior and self-concept you are projecting.

• Remember that girls have emergencies, too. Many of our girls have taken on responsibilities generally reserved for adults. Even some of our youngest members may be obligated to care for younger siblings, cook dinner, or wash clothes instead of attending activities on certain days. While you can generally adjust your schedule, our girls face moment-to-moment schedule changes that are out of their control.

The ideal timeframe would be one Saturday a month and occasional weekdays between 3.00 pm - 6.00 pm.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please get in touch with Tina@perfecttenafterschool.org