As adults, we’ve been there and know the challenges and conflicting priorities young people are facing. For Gen Z , virtual mentoring is an optimal way to build relationships and make a difference in their lives, supporting them on the journey to achieving their goals.
Seven reasons why now is a great time to be a backr!
The new school year is a critical time for students. A strong start with guidance and encouragement from caring adults can make a difference as they strive to earn good grades and achieve personal goals. Young people are excited to work with a dedicated team of adults who can support them in their school and career pursuits.
As students approach their classwork, they may be awed by all the information they absorb. They may also question how they will get all the work done and balance jobs and activities, while earning top grades.
As adults, we’ve been there and know the challenges and conflicting priorities young people are facing. For Gen Z — also known as the digital-first generation — virtual mentoring is an optimal way for caring adults to build relationships and make a difference in their lives, supporting them on the journey to achieving their goals.
Here are seven reasons you should sign up to be a backr today!
1. It’s Always A Great Time To Be A Backr
Statistics show that 1 in 3 young people will grow up without a backr. Those young people who get mentoring are nearly 130 percent more likely to hold leadership roles. Backing — as we call it — matters, and young people are ready to connect with you today!
Studies have shown that both proteges and backrs benefit from the relationships they create through online mentoring. Proteges do better in school and gain access to opportunities that can improve their social and economic situations. Adults who guide them also gain leadership and management skills that benefit their personal and professional lives.
That is why we here at Backrs believe online mentoring for students is always a good idea — no matter the time of year. Whether it’s the start of the school year or the middle of the semester, our proteges are eager to connect with — and learn from — caring adults, no matter their age, background, career path, or status (whether they’re actively working or retired).
2. Backing Isn’t Complicated
At Backrs, we know adults want to invest in young people, so we’ve removed obstacles to make online mentoring easy for any adult who wants to work with a protege. Here’s why backing makes sense:
Connecting is easy
Interactions can be quick and done from a phone or a computer.
Time isn’t an obstacle
Whether between work meetings, during coffee breaks, or after putting the kids to bed, you can connect at convenient times. Most interactions only take a few minutes.
Backrs don’t go it alone
Proteges select a team of four to six backrs to support them. Everyone benefits because one backr doesn’t feel overwhelmed, and students get to know a diverse group of adults.
3. You Have Knowledge And Networks To Share
For Vincent Harris, virtual mentoring as a backr made perfect sense. “I have benefited from many mentors in my career and value the opportunity to support someone else in their life journey where I can,” he shared.
Like Vincent, when you connect with a protege, you’ll build a relationship that has a lifelong impact. Sharing your lived experience and offering advice and support can help proteges overcome challenges, keeping them motivated as they pursue a path of educational excellence.
When you connect proteges to people in your network, you provide direct access to leaders and potential hiring managers who can offer real-world insights into career paths. Those connections may also guide proteges on the journey toward meeting and exceeding their goals.
Our proteges participate in a unique onboarding experience, setting goals related to education, career, health and wellness, and personal interests. Backrs can more easily share their strengths when they know how to help a protege achieve their goals.
Unsure what you might bring to the relationship? Here are a few ideas:
Talking with a protege about their vision for the future.
Exploring their career interests.
Reviewing a protege’s resume.
Discussing concerns related to work, school, or life.
Sharing successes and challenges you’ve experienced.
4. Your Location Isn’t An Obstacle
Thanks to technology, our backrs can live anywhere in the U.S. and still build a strong relationship with a protege through virtual mentoring. There was a time when meetings were only done face-to-face. Backrs meets our proteges where they’re at — with their phones at their fingertips — always ready to connect. Theo Ossei-Anto is a great example. He lives in a different time zone and different state, California. He still connects with his protege, a college student who attends college near Nashville, Tenn.
5. You Will Guide A Protege Toward Success
Students who connect with caring adults benefit from the advice and counsel they receive, but they also build a support network to tap into as they pursue their education and career goals. Studies have shown that students who regularly connect with a backr are more likely to stay in school, less likely to drop out, and have better social-emotional development.
We know our proteges are invested and charting a course for success, and your backing helps to solidify that they are moving in the right direction. Our backrs not only participate in virtual mentoring — they offer proteges access to social groups, club memberships, professional connections, and others in their network who might build a bridge to career paths leading to a higher socioeconomic status.
6. You’ll Learn From Your Protege
You have life hacks and experiences that are sure to benefit a protege. We also know that once you get to know your protege, they will offer insightful views about work-life balance, their values, and their thoughts on mental health and self-care. The relationship you build through online mentoring can bridge generation gaps, creating more understanding between you and your protege. If you work with younger colleagues or have young people in your life, knowledge sharing leads to a higher level of understanding that is invaluable.
7. You’ll See Positive Outcomes
We know most people who become a backr do so because they want to give back, but backing has many positive impacts for adults, including:
Improved self-esteem: Not only do proteges gain self-esteem, backrs find that they start to view their own experiences and accomplishments in a new and positive way.
Growing new relationships: As a backr, you are part of a team of adults who support a protege. You’ll make new connections — even remotely — with other caring adults and professionals who have similar values and interests and seek to make a difference in a protege’s life.
Increasing leadership skills: When you back a protege, you take on a leadership role. You’ll increase your supervisory skills as you build a long-lasting relationship, which can have personal and professional benefits.
A sense of accomplishment: Supporting a protege is a rewarding — and priceless — experience for a backr. Whether you connect with a quick text message or a zoom meeting, share advice, or listen to their latest news, those interactions can change the trajectory of your protege’s life.
Right now is the best time to become a backr! Technology makes it easy. Time is not prohibitive. Our proteges tell us they love the connections they make with their backrs. Our backrs are excited to give back. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.