Minority Golf Association of America

Mentoring Program

What is a mentor?

Mentoring--from the Greek word meaning enduring--is defined as a sustained relationship between a youth and an adult. Through continued involvement, the adult offers support, guidance, and assistance as the younger person goes through a difficult period, faces new challenges, or works to correct earlier problems.  In particular, where parents are either unavailable or unable to provide responsible guidance for their children, mentors can play a critical role.

A mentor is a person who cares and goes out of their way to see that youth get the best possible chance to fulfill their potential. It involves teaching, coaching, and helping to build a high degree of confidence. But what brings out the full magic of mentorship is some degree of affection or warm friendship...what a older brother might feel for his kid sister or brother. A few traits of mentors are:

• A mentor looks for signs of specialness that they can somehow work with and develop.
• A mentor gives honest advice when needed. (Equally important, the recipient must have enough faith in their mentor to take it.)
• A mentor gives that special someone an inside view of what really goes on in the world.
• A mentor manages to "think out loud" in the recipient's presence. .
• A mentor does not let his charge get beat up or spit out by outside influences.
• A mentor lets it be known that the special someone is a person with excellent potential and is not to be trifled with.
• A mentor sees the future and grooms that special someone to be ready for major responsibilities.
• A mentor lets that person "shine". They know the credit will reflect back.

Mentoring is more personalized and individualized than teaching and coaching. It is an optional, subjective process between a concerned leader and a very select few subordinates.

Mentoring involves candid dialogue, career advice, caring and support, commitment, and assistance. This is what makes it a far more powerful tool than other forms of training, it is personalized. Where as training is geared towards the average individual, mentoring is constructed for each individual.

Don't confuse mentoring with free-association babbling or idle talking.

Do give small special assignments that will provide a series of small successes.

Take the lead, ask kids if they wants some special explanation, an inside view, a bit of tutoring, or if they are frustrated with anything.

Ensure a kid's hard work and skill are translated into actual appraise.

Be willing to give and receive feedback.

Be generous with praise, but make it specific.

Be gentle with corrections, do not point out every little mistake.

Be clear about your expectations of the mentoring relationship.

Be honest and open.

Be willing to discuss what is going well and what isn't in the relationship.

Be able to commit the time and the energy to the relationship.

Honor your commitments.

The two types of mentoring are natural mentoring and planned mentoring. Natural mentoring occurs through friendship, collegiality, teaching, coaching, and counseling. In contrast, planned mentoring occurs through structured programs in which mentors and participants are selected and matched through formal processes.   The MGAA will be practicing natural mentoring.

Appropriately matching mentors with youths is at the heart of our program. Matching will be done informally through interviews, personal profiles, comparative interest inventories, and get-acquainted sessions. In our program mentors and youths are given a chance to choose each other.

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