Peer Mentoring

Awareness & Understanding

Think about a time when an older student, a coach, or a trusted friend helped you figure something out. That person was acting as a mentor — someone who shares experience, listens well, and helps others grow. Peer mentoring is that same idea between people who are close in age. It is powerful because you remember what it felt like to be in your mentee's shoes not long ago. In this first step, explore what peer mentoring looks like by reading about programs at local high schools and the University of Utah's peer mentoring initiatives, which are described on their student affairs website at studentaffairs.utah.edu. Write down three qualities you think make a great peer mentor. You are ready for the next step when you can define peer mentoring in your own words and explain one way it is different from adult mentoring.

Research & Investigation

Great mentors are not born — they are built through learning and practice. Research what skills effective peer mentors rely on most: active listening, asking open-ended questions, setting goals together, and giving encouragement without judgment. The MENTOR organization at mentoring.org offers free research-based guides on mentoring best practices. Look into whether your school or district has a peer tutoring or peer mentoring program already running — many Salt Lake City schools do. Interview one person who has been a mentor or a mentee and ask them what surprised them most about the experience. Write a list of five specific mentoring skills you want to develop during this quest. You are ready for the next step when you have identified five concrete mentoring skills and found one local program or model you can learn from.

Planning & Preparation

Before you start meeting with a mentee, you need a plan. Decide who you will mentor: a younger student, a classmate working through a tough subject, or someone new to a club or activity you know well. Set up a simple agreement with your mentee about how often you will meet, how long each session will last, and what topics are off-limits. Write a list of three goals your mentee wants to work toward in the coming weeks — let them lead this conversation. Prepare an icebreaker activity for your first real session so it feels comfortable, not awkward. Review free active listening resources from the Salt Lake City Public Library's online collection at slcpl.org. You are ready for the next step when you have a written plan, a meeting schedule, and three goals that your mentee helped create.

Taking Action

Now your mentoring sessions begin. Show up on time, put your phone away, and give your mentee your full attention. Start each session by checking in on how things are going before diving into goals. Use open-ended questions like "What has been the hardest part of your week?" rather than yes-or-no questions. Celebrate small wins — they matter more than you might think. After each session, write a short note to yourself about what went well and what you want to do differently next time. If you hit a tough situation you are not sure how to handle, talk to a trusted adult mentor or school counselor for guidance. You are ready for the next step when you have completed at least four mentoring sessions and kept notes on each one.

Leadership & Expansion

You have real mentoring experience now — use it to multiply your impact. Train one other student to become a peer mentor by walking them through what you have learned: how to set goals, how to listen actively, and how to handle hard conversations. Help organize or grow a peer mentoring program at your school or through a community organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah at saltlake.bbbsu.org. Develop a simple one-page resource guide for new mentors covering the most important do's and don'ts. Present your mentoring model to a teacher, counselor, or community organization and propose a formal peer mentoring program if one does not already exist. You are ready for the next step when you have trained at least one new peer mentor and created a shareable resource for others.

Impact & Reflection

Your six weeks of peer mentoring have built something real — a relationship, a set of skills, and maybe a changed trajectory for someone who needed support. Sit down with your mentee and review the three goals you set together at the start. Which ones were met? Which ones shifted along the way, and why? Write a reflection on what you discovered about yourself as a mentor — what came naturally, what was hard, and what you would do differently. Share your story with your school counselor, at a student leadership meeting, or by writing a short piece for your school newsletter. Nominate your mentee to become a peer mentor themselves someday. You are ready for the next step when you have completed a written reflection on your mentoring journey and shared it with at least one person beyond your mentee.