One Thing We Learned During Mentor Month

(This is an excerpt from the Trekker Tracker, the monthly community newsletter. Sign up here!)

Last Thursday and Friday, Program Manager Kaleb Robinson attended the virtual National Mentoring Summit, an annual conference for youth practitioners across the country. Unsurprisingly, youth mental health was a pervasive topic throughout the conference, as experts addressed how mentors could show up for young people and support them through their challenges.

One of the seminars that Robinson attended was called “Building Confidence and Lessening Anxiety Through Purpose.” It explored, he says, “how mentors could help students lessen their anxiety by helping them figure out ways to engage in the world and discover ways to develop agency and confidence.”

“Asking young people why they want to go to college or trade school can be just as impactful, if not more, than asking them what they want to do. The seminar was an important reminder that our roles as mentors can sometimes be the most impactful when we can help young adults address these questions about the future in a way that helps them feel more connected to their work, their studies, or whatever their journey is ahead.”