Mentorship 101 @ SOSS

This past weekend was Spirit of Service Scholars’ opening seminar, and it introduced us to the complex world of mentorship. As a core component of the program this year, SOSS is teaming up with a couple valley high schools to educate on the importance of civic engagement and raise attention to voter registration within high school seniors.  But the point isn’t for us to perform the project, instead the focus is to engage and collaborate with a group of Junior Scholars that will be representing the high school throughout the year. Naturally, working with teenager’s triggers subconscious phobias in all of us, so we got some pointer’s from some experts in the field.

First up were Gary and Melissa Trujillo; founders of the incredible Be A Leader Foundation that helps traditionally underserved students in AZ create a structured four-year track into college through leadership training, mentorship, and scholarship development.  Gary and Melissa’s most impactful piece of advice was to instill in our mentees three things: Require leadership; understand the only thing holding you back is you; and recognize there is a lifecycle of giving, and the standard rule is to always give back more than you take.

Next, came Tony from Inspire Arizona. Inspire AZ creates a year round immersion into civic engagement for middle and high school students in an “Inspired Year.” My biggest take away was that mentorship is 1/3 check-in; 1/3 support; 1/3 feedback.

With CEO of New Pathways for Youth, I learned the importance in learning to help break the incredibly difficult habit of using the word BUT instead of AND when giving feedback.  Example, “I like UofA but ASU is 100 times better.” Instead, “I like your you choice, UofA is a great school for you and ASU offers a competitive scholarship package, ultimately the choice is up to you.” The point is to build a connection with them, let them know that you care and respect their opinion while still attempting to steer them in the right direction. I hope you get the picture anyway.