Mentoring Best Practices and Resources for College Access and Success

Excite the Mentee about a Non-academic Activity

While involvement in schoolwork is instrumental in gaining postsecondary access and success, mentees should also be engaged in a healthy activity besides school. Being enthusiastic about an extracurricular activity steers students toward positivity and away from many of the negative influences (e.g., drugs, alcohol, violence, promiscuity) that plague today’s adolescents (The Search Institute, 2011).

How does a mentor excite a mentee about a non-academic activity?

• If a student does not already participate in an activity outside of school, encourage him or her to explore different activities that are hosted by his or her community or by his or her school. Find out what a mentee likes to do and challenge him or her to participate in this activity in a group setting.
• The extracurricular activity that a mentee participates in should be conducive to growth for a mentee, a mentee’s peers, and a mentee’s family (e.g., a mentee’s extracurricular interests could consist of watching television, which is not conducive to intellectual or personal growth).
• Show up to events that a student is participating in outside of school. These could be recitals, games, performances, plays, readings, or contests (The Search Institute, 2011).
• Encourage a mentee to get involved with their passions as much as possible.

Why is exciting a mentee about a non-academic activity an effective strategy for college access?

• When students are engaged in activities that they are passionate about, positive development occurs. Students are less likely to participate in risk-taking behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, violence) and are less likely to be depressed (The Search Institute, 2010).

Why is exciting a mentee about a non-academic activity an effective strategy for college success?

• When students are engaged in activities that they are passionate about, positive development occurs. Students are less likely to participate in risk-taking behaviors (e.g., substance abuse, violence) and are less likely to be depressed (The Search Institute, 2010).
• Astin (1974) argues that students relate learning and retention in an institution to their amount of involvement with that institution. Astin has cited larger amounts of student-to-student and student-to-faculty interaction a significant factor in promoting persistence. If a student is involved in an activity outside of school, particularly one that takes place on campus or with other university/college students, they are more likely to interact (and presumably have positive interactions because they are doing something that they enjoy) with their peers and with faculty (Salinitri, 2005).
• Milem and Berger (1997)- early involvement with other students as well as faculty produces retention (Peltier, Laden, & Matranga, 1999).
• African-American men who play sports are more likely than their non-athlete counterparts to receive a bachelor’s degree within nine years of enrollment at a postsecondary institution. Pascarella and Smart (1991) claim that the higher retention rate for athletes is a direct cause of the social involvement that is associated with participating in an on-campus sport (Peltier, Laden, & Matranga, 1999).

More Non-Academic Resources:

• A list of trainings and workshops that focus on increasing student awareness about particular social issues and improving leadership skills.
  http://www.compact.org/category/resources/student-resources/trainings-workshops/
• The Search Institute believes that encouraging a youth to find his or her “spark,” or passion, results in positive development and avoidance of negative influences. A section on the website includes research conducted by the Search Institute concerning the efficacy of encouraging students to find their “sparks.”
  http://www.search-institute.org/sparks
• Fact sheet summarizing research about the benefits of encouraging participation in extracurricular activities in youth. (PDF)
  http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/cy/other/fs9932.pdf
• Allows a student to search for volunteer opportunities by keyword or by location.
  http://www.serve.gov/
• Matches students with volunteer opportunities according to keyword or location.
  http://www.volunteermatch.org/