[JaneYoung]

Hi all,

I've been thinking about this topic for quite a while. Years. It is about the gift of mentoring that keeps on giving and the possibilities found within that gift.

To begin - one of the areas that I think is important, and try to address in discussions with adults/other mentors during times of frustration with students, is - the cycle. The cycle been mentioned here in CD in different discussions and I always think it is of value to remember. Because of the participation of high school students in FRC, a natural cycle occurs. Students cycle in, participate, and then graduate, cycling out or on. Hopefully, the students' attitudes, maturity, and experiences during their time in FRC, help them see how much they've grown through the FRC experience and because of it. Much of that has to do with the mentors and the mentoring that has occurred during the high school students' time of participation.

When cycling out or on, what happens to the mentoring experiences? Do the students carry their impact with them after graduating high school? Do the students learn to incorporate the valuable mentoring practices that they've been recipients of - in their lives and in dealing with others? If no - then are the mentoring experiences easily forgotten or dismissed? If yes - are those gifts of mentoring utilized, practiced, and shaped into new gifts of mentoring to be given and shared? If yes - then we see that another cycle forms. Easily. A cycle of mentoring that becomes much like paying it forward in many ways.

This is an invitation to discuss the impact of mentoring on our lives and share some of those rich experiences that we've had.

Jane