Mentoring and other support systems

Future perspective: threats and possibilities The need to support youth workers & the need for financial resources we need to understand the systems, frameworks, methodologies and concepts What do we mean by mentoring? How it is connected to other ways of helping new youth workers to develop professionally, such as coaching or coordinating? We need other ways of supporting youth workers in their daily work as well. The limits of mentoring: dealing with personal issues can be a tricky thing. To support one’s own pace in professional development. Helping new persons to adapt to professional structures in a tailor-made way. Policy-oriented spaces? Support systems for youth workers (both paid and voluntary youth workers) -> part of guaranteeing the quality of the work.

Good practices Irish examples: mentoring system / mentoring approach Coordinators have a mentoring responsibility. This is also connected to other responsibilities. Also formal arrangements with the university, mentoring an integral elements in the practice. Youth work-shops in Finland: local coordinators who collect information and topics and discuss these with the work community Case of outreach youth work in Finland: in smaller municipalities there might be only one youth worker. Outreach youth work in it’s current form is also quite new. 16 regional coordinators throughout Finland. Individual discussions with outreach youth workers on the situations of the young and the professional role of youth workers. Debriefing is organized as a separate event A national coordinator, face-to-face meetings individually and collectively, on-line meetings as well. Different levels of mentoring (personal/professional/social): mentoring for personal development is needed in order to have a proper professional mentoring, especially when working with young people in vulnerable situations. Guidance on how to behave professionally in difficult situations An ethical dimension as well

Useful learning experiences Youth work can be really demanding -> mentoring might help in organising the work load. In the outreach youth work in Finland this seems to be the case. Younger colleagues working in an organization “somehow know that somebody is mentoring them”, even though it is not officially called mentoring. Still, people know that they are able to talk if something is bothering them. Identified professional and personal needs which can be responded to. Mentoring a colleague (peer mentoring): giving and receiving. Issues of dealing with the work. No time limit in mentoring – a mentored person decides when there is no need for mentoring any longer.