How to Be a Mentor

A mentor, which is loosely defined as a trusted teacher or counselor, is a person that everyone could benefit from having in their lives. Whether it’s a tutor, a business whiz, or simply someone who has been there, done that and is willing to listen to your questions, a mentor can be just the thing to help at-risk children as well as college graduates and everyone in between.

There are many ways that you can be a mentor in your own community. If you have children, you could volunteer within their classrooms as a mentor. Maybe you have a college nearby where you can offer your time to students who are undertaking the same studies you did. Perhaps there are kids in the neighborhood who could use a little guiding hand—whether in studies, life in general or simply being told not to break windows! There may even be adults who have recently lost their jobs or are switching careers and could use your expert advice on how to get started all over again.

If you have a Big Brothers/Big Sisters program—or a similar organization—in your area they may have openings for you to spend time with a youth who could really use someone to talk to. Many foster homes will do the same thing; see if you have any in your community. You could do something as simple as take a child to the park or a movie to just visiting and talking about his or her life.

You can also be a mentor online. ICouldBe.org is one such organization that provides mentoring though online communication only. Having served with ICouldBe, I know it’s a very rewarding program. You fill out information based on your job and education, answer questions that students may have about your career, and even peruse “assignments” the children complete about subjects from professional e-mails to proper interview attire. This can help the kids get some real-life advice from someone who has been there as well as participate in a program that is geared to prepare them for the work force.

Still many other organizations offer mentoring services both on and offline; usually these include a combination of the two. Click here to browse these different organizations and see if any of them appeal to you. You can also find limitless mentoring opportunities through VolunteerMatch.org—as well as other volunteer positions that are available in your area.