Mentoring Best Practices From the start these principles have formed our philosophy to provide a trusting environment in which a student feels safe to look at the choices and actions they have made that have kept them from being successful in their life, face what they have to do to correct the situation and make different choices.

     Mentoring & Roundtable Discussions

•Expose youth new horizons while challenging them to think, choose and

  act outside their normal limits

•Provide youth and young adults with positive & engaged role models

•Teach positive values such as:

* Self confidence

* Forgiving family and others

* Dependability, reliability & responsibility

* Caring for others

* Positive and appropriate communication

* Nonviolent actions

* Decision making

•Promote dynamic team building, leadership skills, self-esteem, and positive leaders

•Support youth in their academic success and thereby improve their life potentials

•Self-evaluation process and understanding of how they make choices, what the consequences are, and what good decision making is

•Teach the true value of family and friends

•Encourage and support positive engagement in the larger community

•Promote positive involvement by parents, guardians and families

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Group Mentoring provides young people a structured yet informal opportunity to evaluate their situation, see alternatives, experience other realities and perspectives, and re-evaluate their choices and decisions. It also can inspire youth to deeply understand the meaning of trust and structure that strengthens their motivation to begin to change the direction of their lives.

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DSY does not stop there, we maintain a relationship with the student as they make new choices, return to their lives and make their way forward. DSY keeps an Open Door and invitation to students to come back and receive the support they need to sustain their commitment to new choices and new successes.