It doesn’t matter what culture you come from—being a teenager isn’t easy. However, this developmental stage and the accompanying struggles can be especially true for younger girls growing up in a generation very different from previous ones.
Today, teenagers are constantly exposed to a never-ending barrage of media content that can quickly absorb much of their thinking. This exposure often leads to younger girls feeling like they need to live up to unrealistic expectations of beauty standards or societal norms that don’t align with their values.
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Of course, these are only some of the challenges young girls face in addition to peer pressure, body image issues, or coping with deeper emotional issues as they navigate through life. These teen challenges are where becoming a mentor can be so impactful.
As a mentor, there are some important things to keep in mind when helping young teens reach their full potential. Below are some keys to a successful mentorship.
How to Mentor Teenage Girls Successfully
Build a Foundation of Trust
Mentorship can be a great way to support and guide young girls. But this relationship can’t happen if there is no trust established.
Trust plays a critical role in helping your mentee feel safe enough to share her issues with you, especially if she has experienced certain traumas in her life. Opening up to someone can be very difficult for many young girls, even with close family members, so it’s even more important for mentors to establish this trust early on in the relationship.
To establish a trusting mentor-mentee relationship, you need to begin by being an active listener. Don’t be quick to offer your advice and perspectives on different topics without first allowing for an uninterrupted flow of communication.
It would help if you also made it clear from the start that you’re only there to help support them through various issues, not to tell them what to do directly or to pass judgment.
Identify Strengths and Set Goals
One of the most difficult things teenagers face is their impression of their own self-worth and capabilities.
Many young adults struggle with looking past their faults and can be disheartened when they can’t achieve what they want in life (or what is promoted on social media). This perceived failure can be a major source of stress, making them feel like they lack purpose.
As a mentor, one way to help your mentee avoid feelings of inadequacy is to point out and play to their strengths. When all someone can think about is what they’re doing wrong in life, having a caring person provide an accurate mirror of all the great things they’re doing can really help to flip the narrative.
One way teenage girls can make sure they’re keeping a positive perspective about their achievements is to set specific goals to work toward. These goals shouldn’t just focus on the “bigger picture,” such as wanting to become a successful businesswoman or start their own company one day. These might be great long-term goals, but setting achievable milestones easier to hit can be a great motivator.
Taking baby steps and setting goals, learning EQ skills, or even handling tough situations in life can all be great ways to help the individual feel more confident in their abilities to set objectives and see them through.
Related reading: "How to Use Internal and Extrenal Motivation to Catapult You to Your Goals."
Help Teens Build Resilience to Surmount Their Challenges
Life always has a way of throwing you curveballs. However, for young teenagers, many of these disappointments or setbacks can seem much more intense and impactful than they should be. Without the right perspective, these temporary impasses can lead to deep feelings of depression or even lead to the development of anxiety disorders.
An important life lesson for any young girl as they’re growing up is learning how to become more reliant and resilient in life. There will always be times when a person is unable to rely on others to help them get through certain challenges. However, when you can recognize the challenges you face as opportunities for growth or improvement, the setbacks don’t seem insurmountable.
As a mentor, you can do a lot for your mentee by helping them develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with stress by encouraging them to practice self-care regularly. These will be great tools they can lean on to help them maintain a calm and productive attitude when addressing new challenges in life.
The Importance of Empowerment: Celebrate Successes
Young girls experience particular challenges in life that not all people face. While society has made a lot of progress over the years, there is still a large disparity that takes place when it comes to men and women.
Whether in their personal life or as they start establishing their careers, young women will no doubt have to face certain feelings of inequality that can shape their personalities for good or bad. Feeling empowered is essential to navigate these issues successfully.
A meaningful way to help your mentee feel empowered is by helping her to find her own voice. It’s crucial that she’s able to successfully speak up for herself or express her opinions without regrets. This confidence is especially the case when establishing vital boundaries in both her personal and professional life.
Empowerment also comes naturally when your mentee considers all of their accomplishments as they grow and develop. Taking time to celebrate various successes in life—no matter how small—is crucial to stay encouraged. Relatively smaller wins in our daily lives can quickly add up and be a significant part of staying empowered enough to go through life how we choose, not how others tell us to.
Help Your Mentee Be the Best She Can Be
Mentorships can have such a positive impact on a young girl's life. By following this guide, you’ll be able to establish the level of trust that’s so important for the relationship with your mentee.
This foundation of trust and support will open the doors for a free exchange of thoughts and ideas to help motivate your mentee to be the very best version of herself that she can be.
Your support will make a difference!
Do you want help in learning how to mentor?
Heartmanity has coached teens for decades and can assist you in gaining the skills you need for success.
