The transition to closure can be a difficult thing for a mentor and a mentee. The year went by so fast and the mentor or mentee may have strong feelings about ending the relationship. As an adult, saying goodbye is one of the hardest thing we do. You may wonder how you can possibly say goodbye to this child.
One of the best gifts a mentor can give a mentee is the process of a "healthy goodbye". A goodbye can be one last lesson that you impart on a mentee. As you prepare to close your match remember these points:
1. Find a common language to sum of your feelings with your mentee
2. Provide feedback that describes growth that you observed in your mentee
3. Be prepared to listen and affirm fears that your mentee might have
A wonderful way to conclude your mentoring relationship is a "Celebration" of your time together. Choose a location that means something to the two of you and then celebrate the time you had together. Instead of saying goodbye, make the last outing a reflection of the time you spent together. Make a list of all the things you did together, you can include dates or times that you have stored on your monthly reports.
One of the best examples of a mentor's closure meeting went as follows:
- The mentor took the mentee to their favorite restaurant for lunch and cake
- The mentor created a photo album (from a dollar store) that contained pictures from their first meeting through their last outing
- The mentor wrote on the last two pages dates and activities that they did together throughout the two year period
- On the past page, the mentor wrote an affirmation of the child
Think creatively about how you will say goodbye and end your relationship. What a wonderful role model you can be to introduce a healthy goodbye for this child.
Happy Birthday
