ABSTRACT
Mentoring require many hours of listening to young people to make sense out of what they want to do, and much time trying to formulate the right questions to get young people to think even a little differently about their paths. Upward Bound programs feature such celebrations as banquets and graduations to help young people see the fruits of their hard work. Mentors can become discouraged, particularly when their mentees are floundering in the program, in school, or in life. Most adult mentors understand the need for long-term commitment but even the most dedicated individuals can feel that they are not being heard, or just feel useless given the problems that they face. The relationships that people have with students in middle school are different from those they can have in high school, which is different from working with people as young adults, in college or not.
