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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Youth Mentor

💰 $ - $

Youth ServicesEducationNon-profitSocial WorkCounseling

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a compassionate, organized, and proactive Youth Mentor to provide one-on-one and group mentoring, life-skills coaching, and case support to adolescents and young people in community, school, or residential settings. The Youth Mentor will design and deliver developmentally appropriate activities, support behavioral and academic goals, coordinate with families and partner agencies, document progress, and apply trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices to improve life outcomes for at-risk youth.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Volunteer Mentor or Big Brother/Big Sister program volunteer with hands-on experience supporting youth
  • After-school Program Assistant or Youth Program Coordinator in community centers or schools
  • Residential Youth Worker, Youth Support Worker, or Case Aide working with at-risk adolescents

Advancement To:

  • Senior Youth Mentor or Lead Mentor supervising small teams of mentors
  • Youth Services Coordinator or Program Manager overseeing multiple youth programs and budgets
  • Clinical Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, or Behavioral Health Specialist (with additional licensure/education)

Lateral Moves:

  • Community Outreach Specialist working with schools, nonprofits, and stakeholders
  • Family Support Specialist providing parenting outreach and case management
  • School-Based Counselor or Attendance & Engagement Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Provide consistent, empathetic one-on-one mentoring to adolescents, building trust and rapport through weekly meetings, goal-setting sessions, and progress reviews that improve academic performance, attendance, and social-emotional skills.
  • Design, plan, and facilitate structured group workshops on life skills, conflict resolution, study skills, job readiness, financial literacy, and healthy relationships, adapting curriculum to the developmental needs of the group.
  • Conduct strength-based assessments and individualized mentoring plans that identify measurable goals, action steps, timelines, and evaluation metrics to track behavioral, academic, and social progress.
  • Deliver trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions and de-escalation strategies during crisis events, ensuring youth safety while maintaining dignity and respect.
  • Coordinate with school personnel (teachers, counselors, principals) to support individualized education plan (IEP) goals, classroom accommodations, attendance interventions, and reintegration plans for students at risk of dropout.
  • Provide case management tasks including intake interviews, referral coordination, resource linkage (housing, food, counseling), and follow-up to ensure youth and families access community supports.
  • Monitor and document behavioral incidents, progress notes, contact logs, and case plans in organizational databases, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and confidentiality per agency policies and legal requirements.
  • Facilitate family engagement by conducting home visits (when applicable), family meetings, and workshops to strengthen parent-child communication and link families to supportive services.
  • Advocate on behalf of youth with juvenile justice systems, child welfare agencies, schools, healthcare providers, and employers to remove barriers to stability and opportunity.
  • Coach youth in job search skills (resume writing, interview practice), coordinate internships or volunteer placements, and follow-up with employers to support sustainable employment outcomes.
  • Implement positive behavior support plans in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to reduce risky behaviors and reinforce pro-social choices.
  • Lead recreational, enrichment, and community service activities that build leadership, civic responsibility, and self-efficacy among participating youth.
  • Maintain caseloads in line with program standards, prioritizing high-need clients and escalating clinical concerns to licensed clinicians when required.
  • Assess risk and develop safety plans for youth with suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, or exposure to violence; coordinate emergency interventions and mandated reporting as required by law.
  • Deliver culturally responsive mentoring that honors the identities, languages, and lived experiences of youth from diverse racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities.
  • Track and report programmatic outcomes (attendance, recidivism, academic gains, employment placements) to support continuous quality improvement and grant reporting.
  • Participate in referral intake, eligibility screening, and orientation for new participants to ensure clear expectations and successful onboarding into mentoring services.
  • Train and mentor junior staff, volunteers, and peer mentors on best practices for youth engagement, boundary setting, documentation, and safety protocols.
  • Build and maintain partnerships with local schools, employers, mental health providers, and community organizations to expand resource networks and referral pathways for youth.
  • Use evidence-based motivational interviewing techniques to increase youth motivation for change and to set achievable short- and long-term goals.
  • Conduct periodic outreach and recruitment to maintain program enrollment, including attending community events, running information sessions, and leveraging social media and local networks.
  • Ensure compliance with program licensing, funding requirements, confidentiality laws (e.g., FERPA/HIPAA where applicable), and organizational policies through timely documentation and participation in audits.

Secondary Functions

  • Participate in program evaluation activities, data collection efforts, and pre/post assessments to measure youth outcomes and inform program improvements.
  • Compile monthly and quarterly narrative and quantitative reports for funders, stakeholders, and internal leadership that summarize program impact and highlight success stories.
  • Attend regular staff meetings, clinical supervision, professional development trainings, and case consultations to maintain best practices and reflect on challenging cases.
  • Support recruitment, onboarding, and supervision of volunteers and interns, including facilitating training sessions and shadowing experiences.
  • Assist with grant proposals, community partnership development, and outreach materials to support program sustainability and expansion.
  • Help coordinate logistics for field trips, external workshops, college visits, and community service projects ensuring compliance with safety protocols and transportation needs.
  • Maintain a working knowledge of community resources (mental health, housing, legal aid, substance use treatment) and update referral directories regularly.
  • Collaborate with data or evaluation teams to fulfill ad-hoc information requests and to translate youth-level outcomes into program-level improvement actions.
  • Provide culturally and linguistically appropriate communication and documentation, including translation or interpretation facilitation when needed.
  • Support crisis response plans during community incidents affecting youth, including coordinating family notifications and referrals to trauma supports.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Individual and group mentoring program design and delivery, including curriculum adaptation for adolescents and transitional-age youth.
  • Case management and documentation skills: intake assessments, case notes, service plans, referrals, and outcome tracking in CRM/EHR systems (e.g., Apricot, Penelope, HMIS).
  • Trauma-informed care and de-escalation techniques to manage behavioral incidents and support emotional regulation.
  • Risk assessment and safety planning for suicide, self-harm, or exposure to violence, including mandated reporter knowledge and protocols.
  • Motivational interviewing and solution-focused brief intervention techniques to encourage youth engagement and behavior change.
  • Knowledge of adolescent development, social-emotional learning (SEL) frameworks, and evidence-based youth workforce readiness strategies.
  • Group facilitation and classroom management skills for running workshops, support groups, and team activities.
  • Basic data literacy: collecting, entering, and interpreting program metrics, attendance records, and progress indicators for reporting.
  • Familiarity with school systems, IEP/504 accommodations, attendance intervention strategies, and cross-system collaboration.
  • Community resource navigation and referral coordination for housing, mental health, employment, substance use, and legal services.
  • CPR, First Aid, and other safety certifications (or willingness to obtain) for supervision of youth during activities and outings.
  • Bilingual or multilingual communication skills and culturally responsive service delivery (preferred in diverse communities).

Soft Skills

  • Active listening and empathetic communication that builds trust quickly with adolescents and families.
  • Strong verbal and written communication for clear documentation, reporting, and outreach to schools and community partners.
  • Cultural humility and sensitivity to work effectively with diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  • Patience, resilience, and emotional regulation when managing challenging behaviors or crisis situations.
  • Boundary setting and professional ethics to maintain safe, consistent mentor-mentee relationships.
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking to adapt interventions to changing youth needs and environmental constraints.
  • Collaboration and teamwork skills to operate in multidisciplinary teams and co-create care plans.
  • Time management and organizational skills to balance caseloads, documentation deadlines, and program activities.
  • Coaching and leadership ability to motivate youth, supervise volunteers, and support peer mentors.
  • Conflict resolution and restorative practices to repair harm, rebuild relationships, and teach accountability.
  • Adaptability and creativity to design engaging programming with limited resources.
  • Confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive youth and family information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
High school diploma or GED required; combination of education and relevant direct-service experience will be considered.

Preferred Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, Education, Counseling, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Social Work
  • Psychology
  • Human Services
  • Education
  • Youth Development
  • Counseling

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
1–3 years of direct experience working with adolescents or young adults in mentoring, school-based services, juvenile justice, foster care, residential programs, or community youth programs.

Preferred:
2–5+ years of progressive experience with at-risk youth, case management, group facilitation, or related supervisory responsibilities; prior experience in trauma-informed settings, school partnerships, or workforce readiness programs is highly valued.

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