Mentoring for Youth Development

Many books have been written on the concepts and perspectives of mentoring, most in the context of mentoring in the workplace with the goal of helping workers develop in their careers. Mentoring youth is different, however. The purpose of mentoring youth is to facilitate young people’s personal development through non-formal learning as a form of extension education. Despite the vast number of youth mentoring programmes around, the topic has not received the depth of coverage it deserves, particularly for those working in non-Western settings. “Mentoring for Youth Development” presents a new perspective and insight on mentoring youth that is firmly grounded in diverse theoretical traditions. More practically, it points out the do’s and don’ts and pitfalls of mentoring today’s youth. It provides an academic backdrop to the practice, yet also acts as a reference for practitioners. The “What is” is the primary direction of this book, yet it also discusses the “How to’s” of mentoring young people.