Supporting Youth Leadership Through Mentoring

Introduction to Youth Leadership

Youth ages 15-25 are the fastest growing population worldwide, with many setting their sights on leadership positions of the future. Helping youth become tomorrow's leaders requires investments in developing their skills and values to navigate changing workforce and economic structures. Adults can facilitate future leaders' development in positive ways. Supportive adults empower youth by honoring their individual talents, emphasizing their strengths, and valuing their culture. The facilitation of positive future leaders' development requires an alignment of youth development models and social supports that turn away from elitist leadership mindsets (Kelsey, 2020), reject deficit narratives (Brooms et al., 2021), and are dedicated to holistic scaffolding of youth leaders (Shek & Yuen, 2019).

Youth Leadership Models

Many models help to support youth leaders, focusing on culturally relevant approaches to guide the positive development of leadership skills and attitudes in youth. In the table below, we outlined the key characteristics of three selected youth leadership models. These models combine core competencies (or ways of doing) and attitudes (or ways of being) for successful leadership in their community, modeling positive outcomes for youth leaders.

Table 1. Key Characteristics Guiding Select Youth Leadership Models

Positive Youth Development

• Competence
• Caring
• Confidence
• Connection
• Character
• Contribution

PolyU Leadership Development

• Social Responsibility
• Excellence
• Reflective
• Vision
• Ethics

Circle of Courage

• Respect
• Relevance
• Reciprocity
• Responsibility

The Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach emphasizes that anyone can be a leader through opportunities in leadership competencies and life skills development (Kelsey, 2020). Shek & Yuen (2019) adapted PYD in their Leadership Development Model for Hong Kong youth focused on holistic growth, encouraging seven principles in their program that include self-leadership and servant leadership values through evidence-based practices (Skek & Yuen, 2019). In Canada, a program for Indigenous youth called the Circle of Courage promotes Indigenous ways of knowing, teaching, and learning while encouraging youth to take leadership roles in their communities (Ferguson et al., 2021). Integrating resilience-based theory, this approach focuses on the connections, relationships, and responsibilities that evolve from leadership roles (Ferguson et al., 2021). When integrating or developing a youth leadership program in your organization, consider the core competencies and attributes of leaders in your community, align outcomes with your organizational culture, and seek sources like those above to support quality and culturally responsive development.

Mentoring Youth Leaders

Kukrega and colleagues (2020) note that mentorship can be observed in many cultures and religions, where mentors play important roles, such as guiding, teaching, and advising. Mentoring is a long-term, holistically focused approach to empowering a younger person through building a reciprocal relationship designed to engage through reflection (Hastings & Kane, 2018). Mentoring can sometimes be used alongside coaching or advising. Coaching and advising are shorter in term and tend to be more specific in assisting young professionals with achieving tasks that help them reach desired goals or behaviors (Hastings & Kane, 2018). In all approaches to aiding in a youth's development is the emphasis on creating and maintaining supportive relationships to help leaders to grow in their environment.

Benefits of Mentoring for Youth Leaders

• Increased socially responsible leaders.
• Development of a personal leadership identity.
• Cultivating leadership skills and vision.
• Strengthened interpersonal skills and meaningful connections with others.

Mentors also benefit from the reciprocal nature of mentoring in revisiting and refining their leadership identity and skills, increasing their active listening skills, experiencing a sense of mission, and engaging in problem-solving (Crisp & Alvarado-Young, 2018). Some mentors with previous experiences with trusted adults see themselves in this role. These mentors are motivated by the opportunity to share knowledge and confidence, generate additional positive experiences, and create future mentors of mentees for youth further down the line (Crisp & Alvarado-Young, 2018; Meltzer & Saunders, 2020). Other mentors who recognize the need for positive adult relationships in empowering youth leaders position themselves as active agents affecting meaningful change in their community (Brooms et al., 2021).

Mentoring approaches for youth clubs or organizations

Critical or culturally relevant mentorship develops collaborative partnerships with youth and communities that acknowledge many different sources of knowledge and expertise. This approach puts youth at the center of the process, opposes institutional and adult authority norms, and reflects on concepts of saviorism (Brooms et al., 2021).

Peer mentoring, where youths lead each other through problem-solving and decision-making, has been identified as positively related to professional identity formation and helping youth leaders to thrive in changing organizational structures with emphasizing engagement and connection opportunities (Crisp & Alvarado-Young, 2018; Ferguson et al., 2021; Simmonds & Dicks, 2018).

Reverse mentoring, where youth lead senior leaders in problem-solving and knowledge sharing, creates meaningful intergenerational opportunities and professional support in an evolving workspace that is more inclusive of race, ethnicity, and gender identity (Frey, 2021).

Traditional mentoring with senior leaders, faculty, and/or trusted adults in formal mentoring programs can create bonds and lasting relationships that serve all leaders involved in creating a positive outlook and desire to help others in the future (Hastings & Kane, 2018; Kelsey, 2020; Kukreja et al., 2020; Meltzer & Saunders, 2020).

Resources

Brooms, D. R., Franklin, W., Clark, J. S., & Smith, M. (2021). 'It's more than just mentoring': critical mentoring Black and Latino males from college to the community. Race Ethnicity and Education, 24(2), 210–228.

Crisp, G., & Alvarado-Young, K. (2018). The role of mentoring in leadership development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2018(158), 37–47.

Ferguson, L. J., Girolami, T., Thorstad, R., Rodgers, C. D., & Humbert, M. L. (2021). "That's what the program is all about… building relationships": Exploring experiences in an urban offering of the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Program in Canada. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 1–18.

Frey, T. K. (2021). Overcoming technological barriers to instruction: Situating Gen Z students as reverse mentors. Frontiers in Communication, 6.

Hastings, L. J., & Kane, C. (2018). Distinguishing mentoring, coaching, and advising for leadership development. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2018(158), 9–22.

Kelsey, K. D. (2020). The Sharpening stone: A phenomenological study of the impact of a 4-H state-level leadership role on youth leadership and life skills development. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 8(1), 1.

Kukreja, S., Arora, R., Mahajan, R., & Singh, T. (2020). Mentorship program: Modern outlook of traditional knowledge. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 10(2), 65.

Meltzer, A., & Saunders, I. (2020). Cultivating supportive communities for young people-Mentor pathways into and following a youth mentoring program. Children and Youth Services Review, 110.

Shek, D. T., & Yuen, A. (2019). The quest for holistic youth leadership development: What should be the desired attributes of youth leaders? Int J Child Adolesc Health, 12(1), 43–60.

Simmonds, A. H., & Dicks, A. P. (2018). Mentoring and professional identity formation for teaching stream faculty: A case study of a university Peer-to-Peer mentorship program. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 7(4), 282–295.