Mentoring makes that difference
After ten years of exploring the vastness that is youth development, we realize we haven’t scratched the surface of what’s possible, but we have found what’s working on a global scale. Mentoring.
Among all the fields that play some kind of role in youth development, mentoring seems (in other words it’s our opinion) to be making the biggest impact. And we believe this to be true mainly because we’ve seen mentoring happen informally and formally in most fields. In teaching, psychology, social work and especially parenting you’ll find some or other form of mentoring taking place. Even in the corporate environment one can find mentoring happening wherever skills or knowledge or perspectives are being shared or taught.
MENTOR, our mentoring partner in the US, released a report on the needs for mentors from the perspectives of young people. The Mentoring Effect: Young people’s perspectives on the outcomes and availability of mentoring
The findings outlined in this report depict something of our own needs. South Africa’s youth need caring adults to foster safe spaces where young people are empowered to attain their potential and develop the skills needed to shape their future. Hope for our country lies in the hearts and hands of our youth.
THE YOUTH IS THE FUTURE AND THE FUTURE IS NOW
How are you investing in the lives of the next generation? In whatever field you find yourself, there are young people around you that need mentoring. If you need help figuring out how to best serve them, give us a call.
The FutureNow Team