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I need ideas for assigning mentors
I am excited to utilize the Battalion trail books to connect young men with mentors, but I am looking for ideas that you all have implemented successfully to help make the process successful. Do you simply assign? Do you ask the man who he would like to mentor? do you ask the young man first?
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10 Replies
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There is no “one size fits all” in my opinion, but here are a few ideas…
If the young man has a father who is a Christ-follower, these are usually the strongest mentors. However it is also healthy to be sure other men are speaking into their lives as well, as time goes on.
We connect guys with lieutenants and take at least 15 min. during the Brigade night to encourage and check off achievements.
I would encourage a discussion with each young man to see if there is a man in his life that he desires to be his mentor. Be sure to consider proper vetting and also have a list of men who are willing to mentor guys who might not have their own candidate.
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Dale! So simple but really helpful. Is there a document that simply outlines the “requirements’ of a mentor? Mainly the minimum responsibilities and vision for that role?
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If the young man has a father who is a Christ-follower, these are usually the strongest mentors. However it is also healthy to be sure other men are speaking into their lives as well, as time goes on.
You know Dale it is interesting, I just had a conversation with one of our Non-Coms last night about this. He actually prefers it to not be a father. Not because his father isn’t a strong Christian, and not because his father doesn’t have a good relationship with him. He said he likes having someone that he does not see on a day to day basis that he gets to interact with and build a new relationship and get insights that he might not get from his dad who sees him every single day.
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Unfortunately no concise document at the moment. The Building Men book covers it well and the introduction to each of the Quest Series: Battalion achievement guides explain it to a degree.
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Thanks Dale. I’ll take a look at the Building Men book, it is great resource.
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Here is what we do.
The Brigadier selects a mentor and has that mentor get in touch with our achievement coordinator. The AC conducts a brief interview (make sure the mentor is a solid Christian man) and goes over how achievement works and how we can support them. Then we let them get started.
The AC checks in with mentors on a monthly basis to ask how they can support. We check in sooner if no progress is being made.
For Leadership Trails, we require the mentor be a Senior Leader in the unit.
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Thanks!
Do you have a checklist you go over or something to guide your description to the mentor of what he will be doing?
Also, what is “AC”?
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We do. I got it from one of the Brigade Books, though I don’t know which one right off hand. AC stands for Achievement Coordinator.
Mentors
Congratulations! You’ve been chosen to serve as a Battalion Mentor. To fulfill this exciting experience you should:
Commit to helping that young man grow spiritually and being an example for him. Seek to have a positive impact on his life. Developing this relationship is as valuable as the achievement material he is working on. This will take time, require sensitivity, and demand plenty of attention.
Work with him until he completes and entire unit. It will take 2-6 months. Meet with him at least 7 or 8 times for about 10-20 minutes each. Augment these times with informal meetings and phone calls.
Look at Adventure Trails. There are six adventures: You and Your Faith, You and God’s Word, You and Prayer, You Serving Others, You Building Others, and You Telling Others. Within each there are 7 or 8 action steps.Discuss the material with him (one per meeting), after he has done each Action Step. He may have questions for you. Don’t feel like you must be an expert. Listen and allow him to talk. Help him feel at ease. The 15-20 minutes of Battalion squad meetings can be used for this purpose.
Initiate interaction with him whenever possible. Because you have been chosen by him to be his mentor, you can encourage him even when he has not completed an Action Step. Find out what you can do to help.
Be a learner yourself. Notice the Bible memory verses. Try to quote them to him before he says them to you. Allow him to make as many mistakes as you make. Do the Bible studies on your own so you are familiar with them.Allow him to do the work. Ask yourself, “Has he completed it to his ability, even though it may not be perfect?” When finished, sign in his book. Look at the next Action Step and determine when you’ll meet next. Pray together.
Figure Out if you will need to provide some extrinsic incentive (a reward) to help him finish the unit. These young men are busy and will get distracted. Keep a positive attitude, even when he may appear to be losing interest. You can work along with him in things on which he does not understand. This may be of great encouragement to him.
Report back to the Battalion Leadership when all is completed. Keep adequate records and turn them in. Another man may be his mentor in his next achievement adventure. Pray for him as he continues.
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With our previous Battalion, we encouraged the boys to choose their own mentors. One boy actually completed the Explorer unit from Adventure Trails. His mentor was a family friend, if I recall correctly.
With our current Battalion, we’ve been using the Adventure Trails with our Battalion as a (small) group, doing one Action Step per meeting, and using the Action Steps for a meeting or two between our other units (now called “missions”).
It’s a struggle to use Adventure Trails, especially in a small Battalion where the adults are already at their limits.
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For Adventure Trails we only use Sr. Leader’s as a mentor as a last resort and encourage the guys to find a Christian Man in their life that can work with them on it. Now for Leadership Trails we require Sr. Leaders be their mentors.
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