How to Recruit and Retain Youth Mentors
Researchers in foundry10’s Youth and Educator SEL Lab explored the practices used at a Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) summer camp that help their mentors make an impact on youth year after year.
High-quality mentoring relationships have the power to transform the lives of young people. Substantial research shows that both structured and naturally occurring mentoring relationships offer numerous benefits to young people that may span multiple dimensions of their lives, such as their personal, academic and professional development.
Our past research with Young Women Empowered (Y-WE), a Seattle-based organization committed to cultivating the power and creativity of diverse young women and gender expansive youth, highlights the many ways in which adult mentors support the growth and development of youth participating in Y-WE’s mentorship-based programs.
Instead of a traditional hierarchical mentorship model, Y-WE uses a reciprocal mentorship model that allows youth and adults to learn and grow alongside each other. In addition, youth and mentors engage in group settings so that youth get to know a wide range of positive role models that can offer personal and professional support. Some youth and mentors are also paired in one-on-one match-ups based on desires and needs.
In Y-WE programs, adult mentors often helped participants navigate challenges and explore opportunities in new or unfamiliar settings by offering support, encouragement, and guidance. They also helped young people better understand themselves, develop self-confidence, and connect to others in healthy ways. These mentoring relationships not only contributed to participants’ positive identification and sense of community, but also supported their creative agency, self-expression, and relationship skills, even in the years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Given the vital role these relationships may play in the growth and development of a young person, mentorship-based organizations and programs should consider best practices for retaining and developing adult mentors. In this blog post, we offer strategies to enhance mentor recruitment, support, and retention, based on research conducted with Y-WE.
What Motivates Mentors at Y-WE
When foundry10 researchers asked why they wanted to mentor youth in Y-WE 2023 summer programs, mentors shared that supporting the organization’s mission to facilitate transformative opportunities for young women of color and gender diverse youth was a significant motivator.
“I believe in Y-WE[‘s] mission, volunteering with Y-WE is fun, and I get a lot of fulfillment and enjoyment and learning and growth myself from being in Y-WE community and interacting with youth. I needed programs like this when I was a young girl. I think Y-WE runs a thoughtful program, and remains committed to centering youth and youth voices.” — Returning Y-WE Mentor
Mentors were especially excited about the opportunity to connect with youth around shared interests, support a young person’s growth in an intergenerational space with aligned values, and witness the unique and transformative work of the organization.
“I heard from a former Y-WE participant who I worked with about the impact that Y-WE had on her and how great the community was. I also work in youth programs, and I wanted to learn from the work Y-WE does to improve my org. Also, as a woman of color who is building community in Seattle, Y-WE seemed like a great place to make intergenerational connections with people who strive for liberation. — New Y-WE Mentor
Opportunity to Make a Real Impact Through Mentorship
In-depth interviews and participant-observations in a Y-WE summer program (Create Camp) revealed that mentoring relationships encouraged hope and strengthened mentors’ sense of purpose. Existing research finds that greater sense of purpose is associated with lower levels of stress and positive health outcomes for individuals and is beneficial to organizations as well.
“…And so talking about the pressures that we feel or felt being in that position, especially when both of our dads are folks of color, who are perceived in a very certain way, especially in Seattle public schools, and just having this conversation, it really surprised me… And it was in that moment where I was like, ‘This is it. And this is why we all show up.’” — Returning Y-WE Mentor
For returning mentors, contributing to the growth of a young person over multiple programs seemed to deepen not only their commitment to this work but also their commitment to Y-WE. Three of the returning mentors mentioned how playing a part in the growth of two Y-WE Create facilitators who started as youth program participants, strengthened their commitment to supporting youth in Y-WE programs.
“I’ve talked with a lot of other mentors like yeah, I keep coming back because this is what my younger self wanted, would’ve loved, and it’s healing for myself”. — Returning Y-WE Mentor
Tips for Recruiting and Supporting Youth Mentors
In this section, we highlight key practices utilized by Y-WE to recruit, train and support mentors. As highlighted in the section above, these research-backed practices support not only the work of the organization broadly, but also the positive development of youth and adult mentors.
Furthermore, these practices can aid in retaining mentors and growing their capacity to support youth across a variety of settings.
Finding New Mentors and Ensuring Mission Alignment
A thorough screening process ensures greater alignment between recruited mentors and the mission, approach, and needs of the organization. Here are a few tips for recruiting mentors and processing their applications.
Expand your network through word-of-mouth. Y-WE’s network expands as former mentors recommend the experience to their friends and colleagues. Many former youth participants also return to mentor as adults. These word-of-mouth recruitment practices allow Y-WE to gain mentors with shared values and interests who reflect the youth they serve.
Ask application questions that matter. Adults interested in mentoring at Y-WE must submit an application. Applications gather general information about applicants and inquire about: Accommodation needs, interest in Y-WE, mentoring goals, related experiences in youth work, skills/expertise, program interest, availability, and references.
Conduct interviews to assess fit. Applications are then reviewed by staff members to match applicants to programs based on shared interest. Staff members conduct appropriate checks (e.g., reference, background) and also conduct interviews with applicants to assess fit with the organization and program needs.
Make Training Accessible and Validate the Mentor Role
Once selected as a mentor, training ensures that mentors have a baseline understanding of what to expect and how best to contribute. Organizations should also ask intentional questions to learn about mentor accommodations and needs. These collaborative efforts to remove barriers to participation are radical acts of inclusivity that begin even before a program takes place.
Offer an equity stipend. At Y-WE, an equity stipend is offered to all mentors and mentors determine whether or not they wish to receive a stipend. Applicants first hear about the stipend through emails and other recruitment messages. Later, the application asks if they’d like to learn more about the stipend. (Making it clear that asking for info won’t change their chances of being picked.) The equity stipend recognizes the work mentors do in supporting young people in the Y-WE community. The stipend also provides support to mentors who are unable to take time off from work to volunteer at a weeklong summer camp due to loss of income or who could use the funds to cover their commute to support the camp. The stipend therefore validates the integral role mentors play in the community and makes it possible for more mentors to participate.
Provide pre-program training with in-person and virtual options. Prior to the start of summer programs, in-person and virtual training options were offered to new and returning mentors. Participants who missed the virtual and in-person options were provided an asynchronous make-up opportunity. The various options helped make the training more accessible.
Teach mentors how to set healthy boundaries and handle sensitive topics. In advance of the training, participants reviewed the organization’s risk management best practices and policies. During the training, facilitators led presentations and activities to help participants understand their roles. The training also covered best practices for setting healthy boundaries, handling sensitive topics, building authentic connections with youth, and co-creating accessible spaces. This helped ensure that mentors had a baseline understanding of what to expect and how to contribute to the collaborative mentoring model embedded in Y-WE programs.
Ask questions to ensure programming is accessible to adults too. The mentor application at Y-WE includes questions about dietary restrictions and food allergies, accommodation needs (e.g., physical space, environmental sensitivities, technology support), and safety/medical concerns that may affect mentors’ ability to participate in program activities. Responses are then considered by staff and facilitators, alongside responses to similar questions in the youth program participant applications, to ensure that programming is accessible to both youth and mentors.
Learning Together Enhances Mentor Relationships
A collaborative mentoring model encourages mentors to work together with each other and with youth to provide support for the broader community.
Encourage mentors to learn alongside youth. Mentors at Y-WE are encouraged to participate in program activities alongside youth. As our research shows, this can positively enhance not only mentoring relationships but also mentors’ own development. In Y-WE’s own impact evaluation this year, a young person shared how having mentors learn alongside them enhanced their relationship with mentors:
“I love that mentors/staff running the program listen to the youth and are primarily there as guides and support instead of teachers and supervisors.” -Y-WE Youth Participant.
Adopt a collaborative mentoring model. Although mentors are assigned to programs and may be assigned to support specific tracks within programs, youth are not paired or assigned to certain mentors. Rather, Y-WE aims to facilitate naturally occurring mentoring relationships within its programs such that youth are provided the space to approach mentors they wish to approach and mentors are provided the latitude to step in to support youth where they see an opportunity.
Support Mentors on an Ongoing Basis
Regular check-ins during and after programs demonstrate to mentors that Y-WE committed to improving and strengthening their work.
Schedule program check-ins. Staff members facilitate check-ins throughout programs to inform and improve programs in the moment. These check-ins provide avenues for mentors to collaborate with staff to improve youth program experiences and support for the entire community.
Facilitate a post-program debrief. Staff members facilitate a post-program debrief to gather more comprehensive feedback from mentors. The feedback is used to enhance their work and relationships with both youth and mentors.
Reach out after programs end. After the conclusion of programs, staff members continue reaching out to mentors to provide them with invitations to return to and connect with Y-WE. Staff also maintain connections with youth program alumni in their work of building avenues for young people to grow after they age out of Y-WE programs.
The recruitment, support, and retention of mentors are crucial to the success and sustainability of mentorship-based youth programs. These research-based practices can enhance the quality of mentoring relationships for young people and the organizations in which they are embedded.
Learn more about the work of the Youth and Educator SEL Lab at foundry10.
