The Motivations of Jewish Orthodox Teen Mentors and the Impact of Mentoring

Abstract

Mentors are individuals who facilitate growth in another by sharing their knowledge and insights. This study examined 121 Orthodox Jewish teens who chose to mentor in an organized teen mentoring program. The purpose was to better understand the impact on teens who mentored children who were not afforded the same Jewish educational opportunities or who have physical or mental disabilities. Using data from an original, online survey to these Orthodox teen mentors, with at least one year of experience, up to five years post their experience; this study retrospectively explored their reported motivations, impact, perceived future benefit, and their implications. The results indicate that the teen mentors were primarily internally motivated, and revealed a high positive correlation between participating in teen mentoring programs and perceived affective benefits to participants. It also suggests that the longer a teen participated in a mentoring program, the greater the impact upon him or her. In addition, it revealed that both compensation and gender were influential factors. This research has implications for teens, educators, and community leaders charged with the mission of shaping and developing moral, empathetic, reflective and self-empowered individuals to enter adulthood prepared to serve as the next generation of leaders.