Every teen needs a mentor who can guide them through achieving their aspirations. The importance of having a mentor is mirrored in the relationship Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg’s had. For many Apple consumers, Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Inc. For Disney fans, Jobs was a member of the Walt Disney Company’s board of directors. And for Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs was the mentor who gave the CEO of Facebook advice on how he could build a team that fueled his success. Strong and valuable mentoring relationships can begin with people you initially don’t know that well – this article focuses on building a valuable mentor-mentee relationship with a person you are not familiar with.
Reaching out to prospective mentors
As a teen, you’ve likely been introduced to a person that tells you: ‘reach out to me’ or ‘just let me know what you need’. These are good opportunities to build a mentor-mentee relationship. Pre-Covid, you might have had the opportunity to attend seminars or talks and career fairs where you could find people that expressed their willingness to help. But despite the pandemic restrictions, many high schools now have virtual career fairs or alumni days. You can meet people here who will usually volunteer their contact information. It’s always a good idea to save these contacts as you never know when you might want to complete the loop and start a relationship. You can find a mentor by considering people who have a genuine interest in helping, and communicating with them that you are willing to accept their help.
Detecting Like-minded mentors
Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs both had similar interests in building more than just ordinary business. The best mentors are those who have similar interests as you. For example, if you enjoy the arts, look to build a strong mentor-mentee relationship with someone who enjoys the arts. After-school activities can help you identify people that have similar interests as you. The adults that coordinate these activities are usually passionate about the activity and you can build a great mentor-mentee relationship with them. You can also find some of your everyday teachers or school staff to be like-minded. If you know what a teacher had studied at the college level and their study piques your interest, odds are they’ll likely be more than happy to engage with you.
Networking on social media
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are good social platforms where you can be exposed to new people and potentially find mentors. LinkedIn is another platform that is more professionally focused. LinkedIn allows you to search for people you can connect with and ranks them based on similarity in interests. The Spotivity app also has a similar feature that can help with discovering mentorship programs or other remote opportunities near you.
Committing to Mentorship
The success of any relationship requires efforts from all parties involved. Effort on your part will strengthen your mentoring relationship. A good mentor provides you with cheerleading, consulting, and personal counselling and all you have to put in is communication, enthusiasm, and commitment. A winning combination!
About Spotivity
Be #neverbored again by using the spotivity app and find activities that fit your needs. We help you find programing that can lead to your passion. Whether that is an art program to practice graffiti, a sports program to engage in competition, an education support class to improve your grades, or just finding someone to talk to – spotivity has your back. Backed by research and continually informed by users, spotivity is the tool to help you unlock your world and expand the list of options you can take advantage of.
