The first record of mentoring comes from Homer's classic work, The Odysseus.  As the adventurer is about to depart on a 10-year journey, Odysseus leaves his son Telemachus with a servant, Mentor.  In the absence of the father, Mentor's role was to guide and inspire Telemachus as the youngster prepared himself for his future task as the ruler of Ithaca.

As you can see from the above. the first recorded mentor's role was to guide and inspire.  You may not be asked to prepare your mentee to be a future ruler, but many of the things that this mentor did are things that we hope are occurring today.  Throughout history, the term "mentor" has been used to describe a caring individual who forms a relationship with a less experienced person during a time in his/her life when there are challenges.  The mentor, a source of guidance and support, is often considered a wise and trusted friend.  The purpose of the mentor/mentee relationship is to promote the growth and development of the mentee.

If a person does a web search for "mentor", many hits result.  One page for interns for public workers in the Province of New Brunswick yields a list of mentor responsibilities and benefits.  Exchange new staff with intern and notice the similarities to the ISUE mentoring program.

Responsibilities of Mentors

• Share knowledge of the organization's culture, traditions, and values and how to use this information to accomplish goals.
• Increase the intern's sense of competence by providing feedback and demonstrating confidence in their ability to succeed.
• Act as a role model in a variety of situations.
• Foster creativity and help interns develop their own style.
• Offer advice on longer range career planning.
• Assist intern in accessing in-house contacts and in opening the lines of communication.

Benefits to the Mentor

• Personal satisfaction and an opportunity to help an aspiring individual.
• Opportunity to give something back to the organization.
• Exposure to new and different thinking styles, knowledge and perspectives.
• Helping to develop future leaders.
• Opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on work related areas.

Possibly that first mentor working with Telemachus received some of these same benefits.  Remember - whether you are in the role of a mentor or mentee, there are benefits.

By Earl McAlexander, 4-H Youth Field Specialist