Integrating Adult Mentorship Module Within Youth Oriented Programs

ABSTRACT World Learning (WL) is a non-governmental entity focused on the advancement of leaders around the world through educational exchange programs and sustainable development initiatives. Its Youth Exchange Unit comprises an experienced and inventive team designing and implementing cultural exchange programs centered on capacity and skills building in civic engagement, teambuilding, leadership, youth workforce development, and entrepreneurship. Through such experiential learning initiatives, WL staff have recognized the correlation between mentorship and positive youth development. Recognizing the short- and long-term benefits that quality mentorship can generate for youth, this capstone project integrates a tailored adult mentorship module within upcoming WL youth-oriented exchanges. The module is founded on the backward design theory, experiential learning theory, a detailed literature review on mentorship models and findings from the Needs Assessment involving WL’s adult participants/mentors’ alumni and program staff. The adult mentorship module will address a critical gap within WL’s youth exchanges while contributing to WL’s implementation and pedagogy related to adult participants. The integration of the module within existing programs will contribute to positive youth development, invest in adult participants/mentors’ development and enrich the sustainability of the exchange beyond its life. Centered predominately on the pre-program and post-program phases, with program implementation phase addressed as a transitional portion, the module progressively fosters the adult participants’ capacities to serve as effective mentors to youth upon returning to their home communities. This framework allows youth exchange program activities to occur alongside the mentor’s training module avoiding duplication of efforts on WL’s staff and participants’ input. Keywords: adult mentors, mentorship, training, youth, positive youth developmen