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Conversations: Creating the Future of Mentoring Together on 3rd Sept Summary

Greetings from Mentoring Alliance Singapore and National Youth Council. Hope you have been well!

Thank you for joining us for our very first Mentoring Alliance for Action (AfA)’s Engagement on the 3rd September 2021.

What happened?

100 representations from the 3P sectors (including you!) shared your views and suggested ideas on the 4 key focus areas of:
i) Youth Engagement (General Population)
ii) Youth Engagement (Schooling Youths)
iii) Training and Resources
iv) Partnerships.

It was a fruitful discussion and we appreciate all your inputs and suggestions as we work towards our goal of cultivating a culture of mentoring for youths in Singapore.

We’re happy to share the graphic recording that captured the key points of engagement and attached key summary insights from the different breakout discussions.

INTRODUCTION

Introduction of Conversations Event

GROUP SHAREBACK

Infographic on Large Group Shareback

Focus Area 1: Resources & Training

Top 3 problem areas identified by the participants:

a) Varying standards for mentoring programmes with no minimum standards for quality assurance
b) Varying outcome indicators for mentoring programmes with no standardised indicators for efficacy evaluation
c) Wide variation of youths’ needs and mentors may need more relevant skills and knowledge.

Establish minimum standards as a guide for mentors and mentees

Participants indicated that establishing minimum standards would provide a guideline and set expectations for the mentors and mentees. It was also important to have clarity on the roles of mentors vis-à-vis other helping professionals e.g. coaches, as well as to consider reverse mentoring.

Establish standardised indicators for effective evaluation

Participants recognised that the benefits of mentoring might be intangible. However, participants also highlighted the importance of adopting clear standardised evaluation indicators as these would provide confidence in the outcomes measurement of mentoring programmes which would help justify funding and sponsorships.

Equip mentors with the right skill sets

Participants felt strongly about training/equipping mentors with the right skill sets to ensure basic level of competency and to gain a good understanding of the profiles of youth to provide more targeted assistance.

Central repository to consolidate information

Participants shared that it would be beneficial to consolidate mentoring programmes, trainings and articles on an accessible central repository and to consider user experience when designing such a platform or other technological platforms to engage youth.

Focus Area 2: Partnerships

Consolidation of effort at national level

Participants shared that organisations might be hesitant to collaborate due to the lack of resources and do not know how and where to take the first step towards mentoring. Hence, participants suggested to consolidate mentoring efforts at national level with clear purpose/value-add to ensure buy-in and the importance of positioning it as a collaboration rather than competition. This would promote greater awareness of mentoring efforts among current mentoring players and facilitate collaboration.

Promote benefits of mentoring and leveraging on the existing networks

Participants shared the top reasons that deter individuals to become mentors:
(i) commitment in time and effort
(ii) unsure if they possessed the appropriate skill sets
(iii) unaware of mentoring opportunities.

Hence, one suggestion was to have mentor ambassadors to promote mentoring in organisations. Participants also suggested to tap on school alumni as a potential pool of mentors and showcase success stories.

Ensure quality mentors

Participants highlighted the importance of recruiting quality mentors and understand their motivations to ensure mentees would be provided with the appropriate guidance. Participants also shared that it was equally important to establish clear understanding and expectations of roles with the mentors. Additionally, participants proposed for mentors to keep open communication with mentees’ family members or even engage parents as
potential mentors to provide a more holistic support for the youth.

One-stop page to make engagement and communication accessible

Participants highlighted the importance of having one-stop page to make engagement and communication more accessible and convenient for mentoring organisations, mentors and mentees. A consolidated marketplace of opportunities would also help youths and potential mentors better navigate the mentoring space.

Focus Area 3A: Youth Engagement (General Population)

Youth require support to understand their personal aspirations and manage stress and
challenges

Participants unanimously indicated that the top need of youth were understanding their personal aspirations and choosing educational pathways. They cited that some youth could be overwhelmed by the options/choices as they might be unaware of their passion.

Participants also shared that while youth might be aware of their goals, they often do not know how to achieve or work towards them. Participants also highlighted that social-emotional skill set was another key need of youth to help them manage stress and challenges, be it in education or with their families.

Barriers for youths to take up mentoring

Participants shared some barriers for youth to take up mentoring:
a) Lack of awareness of what mentoring is and what it offers which could lead to misconception e.g. mentoring is about an adult telling you what to do
b) Lack of awareness of the right avenues/connections/platforms to find suitable mentors
c) Societal culture and social stigma/judgement of seeking help
d) Lack of time and commitment

Ways to increase awareness and participation in mentoring

Participants suggested some ways to drive awareness and participation in mentoring:
a) Share success stories of other youths who have benefited from mentoring
programmes
b) Create a safe environment and build trust with the youths as a first step before schools/organisations introduce and invite them to join mentoring programmes
c) Make mentoring a “cool” and fun experience e.g. featuring “Rockstar” mentors that make mentoring look fun and dynamic
d) Reach out to youths using communication modes and language that resonate with youths
e) Package mentoring as a career hotline

Start on a right footing at different life stages

Participants shared that many parents would like their children to transit into different life stages on a right footing. Parents desired to share their experiences with their children and direct them to the right role models for information. Participants suggested to consider mentoring as a bridge to connect parents with their children.

Focus Area 3B: Youth Engagement (Schooling Population)

Top reasons that were holding schooling youths back from seeking mentoring:

a) Don’t know how to start or what is suitable for them (uncertainty to navigate the space)
b) Don’t think mentoring is useful or important (relevance)
c) Don’t know where to find mentors/mentoring programmes (knowledge, convenience)
d) Not comfortable with meeting or sharing with stranger/older adult (fear)

Cultivate a mentoring culture from young

Participants suggested exposing students to mentoring as early as in lower secondary level to normalise mentoring and develop a mentoring culture from young. When students view mentoring as a positive and relatable experience, they would be more willing to be mentored or contribute as a mentor later in life.

Bridge knowledge gap and create a safe environment for mentoring

Participants also cited that the youths do not actively seek out for help, and they were unable to differentiate mentoring from academic guidance provided by their teachers. Hence, having the right terminology and bridging the knowledge gap on what mentoring is and what it entails would help youths better able to appreciate and come forward to participate in mentoring.

Participants also added that creating a safe environment for youths to embrace vulnerability would greatly reduce barriers to mentorship. One suggestion could be to start small mentoring groups and having the mentors reach out to the youth as a friend and build connection with them.

Peers and Parents as Potential Mentors

Participants suggested peer to peer mentoring as students seem more comfortable talking to their peers or seniors rather than their teachers or an adult outside school. Participants also mentioned that youth on internships would also want a good mentor to guide them along. Some participants also suggested that parents in the school’s Parent Support Group and identified employees in companies could be potentially trained as mentors.

Sharing success stories and making mentoring accessible

Participants shared that having mentoring ambassadors to share positive testimonies on social media and through word of mouth would create awareness and attract potential mentors. Participants highlighted the need to make mentoring more accessible to youths, such as mentoring via email/online platform or a hotline instead of a structured mentoring programme.

GET INVOLVED

Closing Remarks and Getting Involved