According to the mentoring platform PushFar, mentoring is “a person who shares their knowledge, skills, and their experience to help another person, or group of people, to progress. Traditionally a mentor would guide a mentee in a one-to-one mentoring relationship.”
The traditional mentoring relationship has many benefits, especially for the mentee or protégée. Based on research by Youth.Gov, those benefits often include the building of confidence and self-esteem, knowledge sharing, improved communication skills, and better connections. For the mentee, these benefits can ultimately lead to greater career opportunities, improved goal setting, and even increased job satisfaction, according to mentoring platform Chronus.
The Benefits of Mentoring
The classic definition of mentoring is the one-to-one relationship between a mentor and a mentee. While this personalized approach to professional or personal development has a demonstrable impact, mentoring in a group setting can have similar benefits while providing added dimensions that can help mentees not just through the interaction of the mentor and mentee but also through the added dimensions of peer interactions and reinforcement.
Mentoring software developer Guider defines group mentoring as “a type of mentoring in which one mentor works with several mentees at once in a group. The mentor will have an area of expertise to share and the mentees will have similar personal development goals or wish to learn specific new skills or knowledge.”
According to mentoring site MentorCruise, group mentoring has several benefits not always found in one-to-one mentoring. These include shared learning between mentees, which can help with developing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills. This can ultimately lead to a sense of community among mentees. There is also the added benefit of the more efficient use of a mentor’s time and resources.
A common example of group mentoring is the dynamic of a sports team, where the coach takes on the role of mentor and players the mentees. Benefits include the implicit mentoring that comes from senior players guiding or reinforcing team responsibilities with newer or younger players, and peer-to-peer mentoring where players work with each other to gain knowledge about the sport and develop skills.
Research by The National Mentoring Research Center shows that similar group mentoring scenarios can be found in educational and youth development settings with positive outcomes for adolescent and younger participants. The impact of such models can be highly effective, though the efficacy is typically dependent on the consistency and quality of the group mentoring experiences.
Junior Achievement’s Approach
Junior Achievement uses a group mentoring approach to provide young people with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their potential as adults. This approach involves bringing together small groups of students with mentors who guide them through various educational activities and discussions.
Key aspects of JA’s group mentoring include:
- Collaborative Learning: Students work together on projects and activities, fostering teamwork and communication skills.
- Real-World Insights: Mentors, often professionals from various industries, share their experiences and provide practical advice on career readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
- Supportive Environment: The group setting allows students to support each other, build confidence, and develop social skills.
- Structured Programs: JA offers structured programs that are designed to be engaging and educational, covering topics such as business ethics, economics, and personal finance.
This approach helps students gain valuable insights and skills that are essential for their future success.
What the Research Says
Group mentoring has a pronounced impact on Junior Achievement students. In fact, research by Ipsos shows that a vast majority of JA Alumni (91%) report that JA motivated them to learn, and 85 percent say it gave them confidence in new situations. Many JA Alumni cite the influence of their JA volunteer, with a significant percentage stating that they went on to work in similar jobs or careers as their JA mentor.
Additional findings include:
- 76% of JA Alumni report having a JA volunteer in their class.
- 65% say they remember the concepts the volunteer taught them.
- 84% note that JA positively influenced their decision to pursue higher education.
- 81% say JA influenced their career path.
- 90% report JA exposed them to different ways of thinking.
To get involved with Junior Achievement of Arizona, consider volunteering, donating, or attending an event.