Giving Compass' Take:

• Lauren Fagella shares three ways that mentorships benefit students in school and have long-term positive impacts on student growth.

• How can funders support mentorship programs? How can donors help increase access to mentors?

• Learn about funding mentorship. 

1. Individualized Goal Setting: Meeting students where they are as developing individuals is where personalized learning begins. Each week, students meet with their mentors to assess their academic progress and to set individual short- and long-term goals, develop an action plan, and learn time management and planning strategies. This intentional, weekly interaction helps students develop a universal set of skills — goal setting, adaptability, and reflection — that are necessary for success in college, career, and life.

2. Relationships Built on Trust: The reliable routine of mentorship allows students to build a relationship with their teachers built on honesty and trust over time. Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder of Turnaround for Children, reiterated the importance of these relationships of trust in a recent interview on the Summit Sparks podcast.

“Can you imagine trying to build self-regulation or executive function in an environment where children did not feel physically and emotionally safe?” Cantor asked. “Children need to have that overall sense of safety in the environment, and they need to have strong relationships with adults and peers to set the stage for the kind of learning that we want them to do.”

3. Developing Self-Awareness and Fostering Passions: An essential component of 1:1 mentoring sessions is weekly self-reflection, which give students the chance to build awareness around their ability to set and follow through on academic and social goals. Students who practice individual goal setting and reflection over time are better able to accurately assess their strengths, as well as recognize and act on areas for self-improvement. Exploring personal interests goes hand-in-hand with identifying strengths, and students are encouraged by their mentors to explore ways both in and out of school — through clubs or community programs and projects — that help build and expand personal interests and passions.

Read the full article about mentorships benefiting students by Lauren Fagella at The 74.