How to Create Your Own Community of Belonging Through Mentorship
April 8, 2025
Mentoring Partnership, Mentoring Stories
This blog is part of a three-part series, where we explore building a sense of community through mentorship with our partners at Foundry10.
In part three of our blog series with our partners at foundry10, we share practical advice on building a mentorship program based upon the principle of building community. Read part one and two.
If you’re looking to create a community of belonging in your mentorship program, here’s a quick guide to get started:
- Define Your Mentorship Model: Determine if your program will focus on one-on-one pairings, group settings, or a combination of both.
- Foster Authentic Connections: Use icebreakers, structured activities, and group discussions to encourage meaningful interactions.
- Support Identity Exploration: Create a space where youth feel safe to explore their identities and share their experiences.
- Encourage Creative Risk-Taking: Provide opportunities for youth to experiment with new ideas and approaches.
- Address Individual and Collective Needs: Ensure that your program is inclusive and supportive by addressing accessibility and wellness needs.
“Adults have a reputation of not understanding. I don’t believe this is because ‘adults just don’t get it’ but I believe that it is because they don’t hear youth. The mentors at Y-WE have a genuine care for what youth have to say. This is communicated through their actions. I have bumped into Y-WE staff or mentors and have been asked about something I had been struggling with. That to me is allyship,” said Fatra Hussein, a junior in high school in Seattle. She has been involved with Y-WE since she was 13-years-old.
Creating a community of belonging through mentorship is about fostering an environment where youth can thrive, take risks, and feel supported. Y-WE’s approach to mentorship — centered on reciprocal relationships, creative risk-taking, and community care — provides a valuable blueprint for building such communities. By following these research-based strategies and prioritizing the needs and voices of youth, you can help create a mentorship program that truly empowers the next generation of changemakers.
About Foundry10
foundry10 is an education research organization with a philanthropic focus on expanding ideas about learning and creating direct value for youth. In collaboration with a wide range of partners, we surface, evaluate, and share opportunities to better support youth learning both inside and outside the classroom. Building on more than a decade of impactful work, our unique approach blends applied and experimental research, philanthropy, and education programs rooted in evidence-based best practices.
About the author
Sydney Parker is a senior staff writer with foundry10 and an experienced communications professional who has a passion for telling stories that drive impact for young people. Before joining foundry10, she served as Managing Editor of Seattle’s Child Magazine, wrote feature articles for publications including The Guardian, The Atlantic, and Real Change News, and assisted on the development side of several youth-serving nonprofit organizations.