Getting Focused: Youth Development
One of the best ways for students to start a trend for success is to focus on what is positive about them first. E-Mentors can be instrumental in promoting youth development because they:
- Develop a sense of trust with the mentee that helps them become receptive to new perspectives and guidance
- See positive qualities in the mentee that the young person may not recognize in him- or herself
- Communicate to the student about his/her assets and challenges
- Offer a perspective from outside the family and school systems
Think about what your mentee does well. Help him or her build on strengths while working continuously to correct weaker areas. These are twelve areas that you and your mentee could focus on: A Healthy Body
Having a good start in life, adequate nutrition, good housing, a
safe environment, access to medical care, and knowledge of health-enhancing
activities
Support
Receiving support and love from parents, family members, neighbors,
and other adults in safe, nurturing environments
Boundaries and Expectations
Experiencing clear rules and consequences, having positive role
models, and high expectations
Empowerment
Having meaningful roles in and being valued by their communities,
and participating in the decisions that affect their lives
Commitment to Learning
Attending schools that engage them in learning, being motivated
to accomplishment, and gaining literacy and numeracy skills
Positive Identity
Developing a sense of self-worth, of self-efficacy, of a purpose
in life and having optimism about their futures
Social Competence
Developing empathy, sensitivity, and independence of thought, as well as the ability to work collaboratively and resolve conflicts nonviolently
Positive Values
Holding values that will form the basis for ethical decisions, and having the courage to act on them
Cultural Competence
Learning to be a part of a global community and to appreciate and respect their own uniqueness and that of others from different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds
Personal Responsibility and Restraint
Testing limits within safe boundaries, learning respect for the law, learning self-control
Constructive Use of Time
Having opportunities for creative expression, for group/team participation,
and for spiritual growth
Moving Toward Economic Independence
Gaining a sense of career options, receiving guidance for making choices, and being prepared for lifelong learning in an increasingly complex world of work.
This information was taken from Twelve
Building Blocks, courtesy of Indiana Youth Institute
(http://www.iyi.org/).
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