Type of Activity:
x Mentoring
❑ Peer Support
❑ Workshop
Relevant pillar: Education
Relevant competence(s): Transversal elements, sense of Initiative & Entrepreneurship, Learning to Learn, Communication.
Duration: minimum 4 hours (it is recommended to implement this activity at least, at two different moments in time)
Materials and Resources: laptop with internet access, printer, A4 paper, notebook, markers, pens.
One-to-one activity mentoring.
This activity is organized in two components: (i) Building trust (essential to all mentoring initiatives – transversal component of the activity) and (ii) to help the mentee identify opportunities, interests, and willingness to pursue a personal constructive path regarding his /her education.
Recommendations:
Please take in consideration that this is a mentoring session – not a training or educational activity, or even a workshop! The Leaving Care Professional (LCP) is not a teacher/trainer/facilitator, he/she is a caring, more experienced individual(s) that will establish a relationship with a less experienced person resulting in the provision of support, friendship and constructive role modelling consistently over a period of time. The role of the LCP is to provide the young person with support, guidance, and assistance. The Leaving Care Professional through a mentoring relationship should be able to listen and ask questions that will challenge the mentee to identify the course of action they need to take in regard to their own development.
Flexibility is an asset! – This mentoring session can combine different activities, starting from getting-to-know each other and reflecting on the self, then building the relationship, until the stage of discussing the educational path.
- To initiate the process of building a positive, constructive and secure/trustful relationship.
- To identify opportunities, interests, willingness to pursue a personal constructive path regarding mentee’s education.
Outcomes
- To get to know each other and share different (e.g., personal and cultural) aspects of LCP and mentee, their life paths, or other subjects considered relevant.
- Enhancement of mentee’s sense of trust, security and constructiveness in the relationship with the LCP.
- Increase of the mentees’ ability to organize her/his sense of self and to positively express feelings about her/his self, life events, and significant people.
- Develop the mentee’s awareness of her/his choices in creating the future regarding to education/training path.
The mentoring process can be useful for a large diversity of situations and in different stages of the life trajectory. Because it is a flexible, people centred, and constructive process, where “an experienced and trusted advisor” (in this case an adult) share his/her experience and knowledge in a facilitative manner to support the development of the mentee it is particularly relevant for children in care aiming to later integrate in the community context. The Mentoring process/experience represents a very stimulating opportunity for the mentee to know a positive and constructive influence in his/her life, and to develop a relationship based on trust, sharing, respect and caring.
To do that, the LCP will have a challenging role, in which he/she will be asked to:
- Actively listen
- Encourage self-analysis and self-reflexion
- Give constructive critics and accept that are other ways of seeing, feeling and being in the world
- Provide evidence-based feedback
- Provide/explain different perspectives (not only those of the LCP’s)
- Ask questions to help understanding better situations or problems
- Both – LCP and mentee need to have open minded, positive approaches. Therefore, the LCP should avoid leading questions and always have in mind that decisions are made by the mentee.
- Provide information and knowledge, inform and share (in)formal networks
- Focus on relationship in positive and constructive approaches – provide support and encouragement
- Provide advice on educational and/or career development, and/or other topics considered relevant by the mentee
Regarding key mentoring skills, the following are commonly expressed in the literature:
- Self-Awareness –implies a good understanding of his/her own strengths and development needs
- Credibility – on personal and professional level
- Accessibility –willingness and commitment in terms of time and availability for support and guidance
- Communication – great communication skills and be able to understand the ideas and feelings of others is a must!
- Ability to empower – the LCP should be able to create a learning/sharing environment where it is safe for mentees to disclose or try out different things,
- Creativity and Inventiveness – be open to new ways of doing things and different ways of learning/working
- Empathy – Ability to empathise with the mentees
- Understanding – ability to understand different perspectives, approaches and possibly backgrounds of different mentees.
- Self-confidence and self-concept might be low – speaking about educational path is not an easy, straightforward, task. Those can be challenging emotional moments for a mentee with troubled/unsuccessful school/training path.
- Some concepts may be too abstract/difficult and seam irrelevant for the mentee due to his previous background and experience.
- To establish a positive, constructive and trustful relationship with the mentee (taking in consideration that children need time, opportunities to connect and develop activities together, and moments of confidence and sharing which require flexibility and support from the LCP).
- The LCP will be prepared or ask for support to adequately address emotional distress and self-confidence/self-concept doubts/difficulties and adjust the discussion about the educational path according to the mentee’s needs.
- The LCP will use common language (if technical concepts are needed, they will be explained through practical examples, analogies and/or personal experiences) to ensure the mentee properly understands what is being discussed.
- The LCP will focus on establishing a positive, constructing and trustful relationship with the mentee. To do so, he/she will have an open minded, flexible approach, and will ensure the mentoring process occurs accordingly to the mentee’s needs, interests, capacities and expectations. This might implicate adjustments in the objectives, contents, methodologies and/or activities of each session- in order to enhance efficiency and efficacy of the mentorship. This does not mean, however, that this guideline is to be discarded – it will always guide the mentoring path, even though each path will, evidently, be unique.
Each mentoring path is unique, and this is part of its richness. Therefore, no structured mandatory activities will be suggested for the 9 sessions of mentoring corresponding to the 9 Pillars for Autonomous and Self-Determined Living. Instead we propose to give suggestions for LCP and mentee to consider and to implement, with the flexibility and adaptation that are needed.
For this initial meeting, the suggestion is for the LCP to focus on discussing:
Part A
- the purpose of the mentoring relationship and its main goals
- the format of the sessions and how they will be developed (where, when, for how long…)
- what each one will commit to and specific responsibilities, initiatives and/or tasks to be implemented by LCP and mentee
Part B (this part will be focusing on specific elements of a specific Pillar)
- Educational and training path
a. Educational path milestones
b. achievements and difficulties
c. goals, wishes, fears and expectations
A. Building trust
a. Getting to Know Each Other
i. Ensure empathy and positive interaction
ii. Be predictable and consistent
iii. Ensure confidentiality
iv. Anticipate mistrust and suspicion
v. Recognize any signs frustration related to refusal to talk, resistance to change, mistrust
vi. Be open minded!
b. Develop a constructive relationship
i. Give time to know each other
1. Establish Boundaries
a. Physical
b. Emotional and psychological
c. Social
d. Other (e.g., spiritual)
2. Be flexible!
3. Be curious and interested – but not intrusive!
ii. Be trustful and honest
1. Be assertive
2. Ensure transparency in your perspective and actions
iii. Spend time together – have fun!
1. Plan activities together
2. Do activities together
3. Monitor and assess activities together
B. Education
1. “Tell me about a recent story where you felt really well and/or successful while learning something (at school or from friends)”
Justification: Talking with someone about a positive/success story is an opportunity for highlighting strengths, knowledge, skills, and, sometimes, to reveal some weaknesses without feeing down or ashamed. This can be the trigger for a deeper discussion on needs and areas to grow (e.g., “It sounds like you have strong planning skills, but that you need support with time management. Let’s talk about how to work on that…”).
2. Sharing of a “time you failed spectacularly”—and what you have learned from the experience.
Justification: Frustration and failure are part of all human lives. To share to experience and to listen that others also have these kinds of experiences is, first of all, a moment to assume our common humanity. Additionally, from the discussion on what the LCP and the mentee have learned from the experience and how this episode was (or not) important for development and evolution, important ingredients for the mentoring relationship will be disclosed and need to be addressed in the mentoring journey ahead (e.g., when I fail I get so upset I did not talk to other people for several days – frustration management needs to be part of this mentoring).
3. Share a current challenge regarding education/training
Justification: Digging deep into challenges regarding education/training can provide a solid agenda for what the mentee wishes to accomplish in the mentoring relationship. For instance, the LCP can suggest “Let’s make a list of those challenges and prioritize them accordingly to the things you really wish to accomplish”. With this list they can work on the identification of barriers and obstacles and how to overcome them. From this step an action plan can be created, and the achievements monitored (please see Activity Workshop 1, Designing my PEP, personalised educational program).