Mentoring helps mentors regenerate and reenergize.  In the past, mentors were looked at as being able to pass on their knowledge and just be a giver.  Today, mentors use their experiences with mentees to help them be in touch with what is current in their field, rethink forgotten concepts and stimulate thinking with new ideas or ways of looking at things that many take for granted.

Mentees will likely have many mentors over the course of their career.  Each time they develop a new mentor/mentee relationship, they will gain knowledge and access t o new support systems.  But the mentor will also gain each time that they have a new mentoring relationship.  If the mentor is reflective of what occurs during their mentoring time, works to make the most of those opportunities and is open to growth, the mentoring process will help both partners in the relationship.

For more information or generation as a mentor refer to pages 161-165 of The Mentor's Guide by Lois J. Zachary

By Earl McAlexander, 4-H Youth Field Specialist