Why the mentoring world must redefine mentors as Mentor-Advocates.
I once mentored a young man who was nothing short of excellence. During his senior year he was accepted into the university that he wanted to attend. Yet the usual joy of such an announcement was instead accompanied by a somber face. He was given little to none in financial aid. Based on his family's financial situation this was wrong and something needed to be done. Having an in depth knowledge of the financial aid system I decided to call the university and speak with someone in the administration. Lets just say the discussion was very "spirited." Two weeks later he stops by and says "Thank You." He went from no money to being provided a four year scholarship.
As happy as I am for the result, the point of this article is not about the outcome. Instead the point being made is that mentors, even educators, are faced with moments where we must shift from the role of mentor to advocate. Better known as Mentor-Advocates.
The mentor, at its essence, is to an adviser and guide for the mentee. In this role we are involved but still allow the youth to control the direction of their life and the decisions they make. The problem here is that many of our mentees may come from backgrounds where advisement is not enough. Many mentees may come from situations where they lack the necessary resources, support systems and environment to make the critical decisions and take the necessary actions to reach their life goals. When this challenge arises the mentor must shift into a role of the mentor-advocate.
In this role, the mentor-advocate directly and intentionally intervenes in the life of the mentee to provide the necessary intervention, information, resources, access, opportunities and support they do not have at their personal disposal. It is an acknowledgement that, even when our mentee's are making the right life decisions, they are in need of more that their surroundings may not be able to offer and therefore outside intervention and support is necessary. That said, there are several critical aspects of what it means to be a mentor-advocate that is fundamentally different from the role of mentor, that volunteers and mentoring organizations must understand.
In this role, the mentor-advocate directly and intentionally intervenes in the life of the mentee to provide the necessary intervention, information, resources, access, opportunities and support they do not have at their personal disposal.
An effective mentor-advocate has four critical responsibilities. First, they must look beyond the deficiencies of the mentee and recognize their potential. The mentor-advocate must establishing the relationship by understanding all the mentee can achieve with the proper support. The "high bar" of excellence. Second, help them develop a strategic personal, academic or career plan that maximizes their potential. Third, to do a personal accounting of all of the information, resources, access points, network and opportunities that the mentor can offer the mentee. Fourth, determine where in the mentees plan that you may have to intervene and offer support.
The mentor-advocate role becomes whole when we focus on all four responsibilities. While the first two are already common staples of mentoring, the remaining two are the responsibilities that require the mentor to take a far more intervening role in the life of their mentee. Depending on the circumstances it can range from simply writing a job recommendation to taking them on a college tour. It can also mean being the one attending a parent-teacher meeting or fighting on their behalf for a job or acceptance to a college or university. While the scenario will change with the situation, the fundamental purpose of being an advocate still remains the same.
That is the role of the mentor-advocate. It is also the relationship that so many of our youth need. Mentors who are more than just a listening ear taking them out for ice cream and movies while accounting for the standard four to five hours that the practice has determined as having an effective relationship. Yes, time invested is important. Doing fun activities are as well as being that listening ear that our youth need. But let us be honest. Many of our youth come to us because there is a level of support and advocacy that they need. As mentors and mentoring organizations we need to provide that to them. We must go beyond simply being advisers and become positive interveners and disruptors of the systems, structures and cultures that have historically deferred the dreams of so many other youth.
We must go beyond simply being advisers and become positive interveners and disruptors of the systems, structures and cultures that have historically deferred the dreams of so many other youth.
To sum it up being a mentor advocate is a way of saying "I believe in all you are, all you will be and I will do all within my power to help you reach your God given potential."