Why your kid needs a mentor — and how to help them find a good one

Does your kid have someone they can talk to?

Not another kid.

Not a counselor.

Not you.

I’m talking about a true mentor — someone older, wiser, and living the kind of life that your kid is aspiring to.

If you can’t think of at least one name, keep reading. 👇

Why are mentors important?

There’s something special about the bond between a young person and their mentor. 

Parents can be great role models, but mentors can help kids see limitless potential in themselves. They fill the gap between your "because I said so" parenting and the unfiltered chaos of the internet.

Mentors can be a…

• Sounding board for your kid’s dreams

• Respectable contrarian

• Source of real-life grit

…and they don’t always need to look like a bearded old man. 🧙‍♂️

Mentors are especially crucial if you want to raise a future founder.

Unsurprisingly, a Stanford University study showed that students with entrepreneurs as mentors are more likely to become entrepreneurs themselves. 

Friends with benefits

There are heaps of benefits that come with a strong mentor relationship:

👍 Boosted confidence: Ever heard your kid say “of course you would say that, you’re my dad/mom”? As much as you want to be their cheerleader, they need someone else to validate their ideas — if it’s an experienced business person? Even better. 

🌉 Bridged experience gap: A seasoned entrepreneur can share real-world lessons on business tactics and market observations your kid won’t find elsewhere, and help ground their more pie-in-the-sky ideas (because as a parent, how could you shoot down their dreams?) 

🚪 Opened doors: Mentors with industry connections can be a game-changer, introducing your kid to potential collaborators, bringing them to cool events, or even just setting them up in a rockin’ co-working space.

❤️ And don’t forget — generosity is contagious: When your kid sees their mentor spending time and energy to help them grow better, they’ll see how rewarding it is, and are likely to pay it forward. 

Finding the perfect fit

Many business moguls attribute their success partly to influential mentors, from Warren Buffet to Jack Dorsey (apparently, almost every big name in Silicon Valley has been mentored by Steve Jobs in some way). 

So how do you help your kid find their own Captain, Steve Jobs, or Yoda (with better syntax, hopefully)?

Here are a few tips. 👇

1. Let your kid take the lead

Ultimately, mentorship is about making a connection, not forcing a friendship or a transaction. 

Talk to your kid about what they're interested in and see if they have anyone in mind who they admire. Their perspective might surprise you (and hey, it might lead to some interesting conversations about different career paths).

Even if their passion sounds ludicrous to you —like an obsession with a fandom or video games—  try to see the bigger signal behind it, and consider mentors in that area. 

2. Tap into your network

All those parent groups you joined can be good for more than just commiserating over handling teenage angst. 

Put out a feeler for potential mentors – maybe someone's cool uncle is a coding whiz or your neighbor is a retired astronaut who can inspire future space explorers. 

Also consider opportunities near you, like…

• Community centers

• Local businesses

• After-school programs

…and even your kid’s current activities — maybe a passionate sports coach has a cool side-hustle they could learn from. 

3. Be selective and set expectations

The media portrays mentors as benevolent, inspiring folks, but the real world can be a let-down sometimes. 

How do you know you can trust a mentor to “be there,” and be a positive influence? This is your pass to do a little helicopter-ing. 🚁 

If you find someone who’s interested in providing mentorship, be very clear with expectations and boundaries. A half-baked commitment might do more harm than good. 

You should also sit down with your kid routinely to ask how they’re getting along with the mentor, what they’re learning, and all that jazz. You don’t need every detail, but getting a general vibe is crucial. 

Prequel’s approach to mentorship

Whether it be… 

• Launchpad (pre-teens)

• BETA Camp (summer teens)

• AlphaX (year-round teens)

…mentorship is the foundation of Prequel programs.

Our Program Directors are like “fun older siblings” who share culture with the kids, but have been out in the world, running businesses. 👇

All in all, finding and connecting with the right mentor will do your kid a world of good. 

So if you don’t want them to only talk to AI in the coming years… get on it. 👊