Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance

Include your mentee in celebrations with your friends and family; model appropriate ways to interact with others.

Discuss dating, school, stereotypes, friendships and family issues.

Talk about situations you and your mentee have experienced; practice dealing with difficult or uncomfortable situations.

Encourage your mentee to join a club (school, faith community, etc) that promotes peer interaction and matches their interests.

Take a picture every time you meet to document what you’ve done together, then periodically place these photos in a scrapbook together and discuss how your relationship has grown and/or changed.

Show your mentee how you organize information, like how you keep track of birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries; make cards or gifts for someone in their life together.

Model and discuss oral and written communication skills; show your mentee how you might respond to various situations and explain out loud how you thoughts and experiences lead you to those actions.

Demonstrate and discuss the importance of teamwork, honesty, and dependability; provide examples of how your life/work was improved when working in a team.

Show problem-solving with your mentee, when you encounter a problem, work through it out loud so your mentee can understand how you reached a decision.

Practice time-management with your mentee; allow them to estimate how long a certain task will take and provide helpful input.

Learn computer skills with you mentee; show them software they may not be familiar with; or ask them to show you how to do something on the computer to build their self confidence.

Assist your mentee in getting his or her library card at the local branch; teach them how to order books, research topics, or ask for assistance from library staff.

Read the same article or book; talk about why you liked or disliked it.

Visit a museum or nature trail; go to a cultural festival, art show, garden exhibit, or a play.

Meet your mentee at his or her school, go to lunch, ask them to give you a tour.

Make a new friend by visiting the elderly in a nursing home together; assist a homeless shelter in making a meal or gathering needed items; and research different volunteer organizations to volunteer together.

Tutor or help your mentee with homework or school projects.

Ask your mentee if they have considered joining the Adelante Youth Leadership Group sponsored by Latin Americans United for Progress.

Talk about your mentee’s career goals and do activities related to them such as researching a career, setting up job shadows, and filling out job applications.

Discuss educational requirements, job opportunities, and salary ranges of various professions, including the one they are interested in.

Take your mentee to your workplace; discuss your job duties, what you like and dislike about your job.

Teach your mentee how to ask for and fill out a job application.

Assist your mentee in building a resume and working on interviewing skills; set up a mock interview for your mentee and discuss appropriate clothing for the interview; and show your mentee how to do an internet job search.

Encourage your mentee to join a sport and attend the events at school. Coach younger children to a sports skill.

Play with a Frisbee or participate in some other fun outdoor game.

Play table tennis, badminton, squash or tennis.

Go swimming, tandem biking, fishing, hiking, or camping; try rock climbing, canoeing or horseback riding.

Build, create, and design something, such as a model airplane or bird house.

Develop craft skills by making bead jewelry, knitting or embroidery, or painting a picture.

Try roller or ice skating, bowling, karaoke, or poetry readings. Attend a motor car rally or a motorbike race.

Learn an activity with you mentee: dancing, cooking, giving manicures or pedicures, or photography.

Teach your mentee to play chess, checkers, card games and other games that develop critical thinking skills.

Discuss how to make a purchase; teach about using customer service; go to an auction, garage sale, shopping mall, or consignment store.

Demonstrate appropriate pet care: brush, bath, trim nails, and clean up; walk a dog; visit an animal shelter.