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Relationships
Be a mentor or mentee
Mentor (say: men-tor) =
A trusted counselor or guide.
Mentee (say: men-tee) =
Someone who is being mentored.
A mentor is someone who helps another person learn things that he or she would not have learned as well or as fast on his or her own. A mentor can be many things – friend, role model, tutor, or all of these at once.
There are two types of mentoring:
- School-based mentoring – The mentor and mentee meet at school and work on homework together. This helps the mentee do better in school.
- Community-based mentoring – The mentor and mentee meet outside of school. Mentors can play the role of friend, role model, and sometimes, tutor. One program you may have heard of is Big Brothers/Big Sisters, which works to bring adults and teens together. Some things a mentor and mentee might do together include going out to eat, going to a game, or working on homework together.
A mentor can offer a young person emotional support and friendship and can often be a good source for advice. In fact, teens often talk to their mentors about things they might not feel okay talking about with their parents/guardians.
If you want to find a mentor or become one, ask your parents/guardians to help you. A good place to start is Mentor, a group that helps connect mentors and mentees.
When looking for a mentor, try to find one who likes the same things you do.
Content last updated June 26, 2008