W-Rapping it up!

No--facilitator Tracy Carriero did not break into a rap song for our mentors these past 2 days. What she did do was set us straight on how to "wrap up" our relationships with our mentees. Whether we are moving onto another SMILES program in the fall, reconnecting with our same mentee in the fall or venturing into a community based mentoring program. We as mentors must always model positive closure.

On the left is Tracy with her infamous quotes used to start and end all of the Mentor Fellowships she has facilitated over the past 3 years.

At this "wrap up" session we were allowed time to reflect on our mentoring relationships. Mentors were given a list of questions to answer (thought they would be helpful to others out there who did not get a chance to attend the session):

1. What was the best part of mentoring for you this year?

2. What is the greatest challenge you faced, and how did you handle it?

3. What did you learn about yourself during this process?

4. What are your mentee's 3 biggest strengths?

5. What wish do you have for your mentee?

6. What would you like to tell your mentee as you wrap up this year's SMILES program? (This could be words of wisdom, or thoughts about your relationship, or something else!)

7. How do you want to proceed with this mentor/mentee relationship?


After we answered these questions we had time to share our answers with our neighbors and ask for advice, if necessary. Feel free to chime in below in the comment boxes and give your responses to any/all of these questions or just contemplate them on your own.