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How Can Teens Influence Our Next Generation?

How Can Teens Influence Our Next Generation?

Mentors are important in guiding us on the right path. But why should teens participate?

Teens need someone to speak their “language”

As teenagers, they felt as though they are misunderstood. Especially when the thought of having to grow up and deal with the struggles of “adulting” comes into mind. The more that mentors remind their mentees of how capable they are of overcoming the obstacles, the more that mentees will want to share their stories with others. In addition to that, depending on how the mentoring is structured, it can impact how the mentee may perceive you to be, according to the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. With time, there will continue to be different struggles. However, as we listen and take the time to think about where we once were, there’s always that feeling that we can help someone by sharing the experience.

A mentor isn’t exactly authority

When we think of the word “authority”, we think of someone who has some sort of power over others. For mentors, we may be older and may have experience, but we are not above our mentees. We feel the same happiness and pain that the teens feel. Although an authority figure might want students to succeed, mentors are the people who can tend to the individual needs of their mentees. According to a publication by the National Assembly for Applied Developmental Science, teachers who hold positive attributes to all creates a positive outlook for students. This is especially relevant for teen mentors due to them speaking to their mentees on a peer-to-peer basis instead of creating some set schedule on what to talk about.

Teens will always remember the people who got them there

Like everybody else, people will recognize and know the people who supported them in their life. This especially goes for teens who are on the path to graduating high school and continuing their education in college. It’s going to be your mentees that will say “thanks to you, I’m going to college” and it really is one of the best feelings you can have. These teens will prove to the world that they can pay their dues in society by pushing others towards the right direction.

Teen mentors aren’t just people to help others. They are friends and they can also be as much of an influence as a beloved parent or teacher.

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