Strategies for Successfully Mentoring Troubled Teens

1) You must have a plan and put your plan into action.

2) Create and encourage opportunities for positive self-expression in your mentee through art, music, dance, etc. Make them feel good about themselves. Focus on the good. If you feel good about yourself you will more than likely feel good about others.

3) Encourage your mentees to help themselves. Limit the amount of help that you provide."I'll help you so much, but then you have to help yourself."

4) Be accepting of what the mentee gives, but always guide them into giving more. Challenge your mentee to learn and instill higher expectations, constantly stretching their self confidence.

5) Mentoring Troubled Teens Strategies for tapping into the students potential through self-esteem building. Sell them on their individual talents and potentials.

6) Enter the mentees' world and create projects that relate to them. If your mentee is into rapping for instance, have him or her create raps that teach a new subject."A good rapper can rap about anything!" For example, have them create a rap on some event in history or any academic subject. We have created "Rap Contests" where mentees performed original raps that taught CPR with great success.

7) Find ways to turn every "happening" (trend) into positive learning experiences.

8) Allow and encourage mentee involvement in the decision making process. Learning is greater and more accepted when the mentees have some "say" in the process.

9) Assess your skills and abilities so that you can do the things that you do best with the mentee. Your enthusiasm for a hobby or project is attracting.

10) When you are with a mentee, give your full-undivided attention to the mentee. You should be looking for ways to trigger their "hot buttons" to tap into potential. Be ready to support positive problem solving skills.

11) Talk through strategies with your mentees for recognizing, handling and overcoming barriers. Turn negative experiences into positive productive learning situations.

12) Winning should be associated with their future career connections.

Focus on incorporating these 12 steps into your daily routine when mentoring troubled teens. And, soon you will find yourself at the center of a new positive world for many, many former troubled teens.

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