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For many young people, confidence does not appear simply because they are told to “believe in themselves.” It often grows when someone takes the time to listen to them, guide them, challenge them and remind them that their mistakes do not define their future.
This is where youth mentorship can make a practical difference. A good mentor can become a trusted adult who helps a young person navigate school, relationships, career decisions, disappointment and the pressures of growing up.
The evidence also suggests that mentorship is more than a feel-good idea. Research has found meaningful links between supportive mentoring relationships and young people’s social, emotional, academic and vocational development.
One of the simplest benefits of mentoring is having another person who sees potential in you.
A young person who repeatedly hears constructive feedback from a trusted mentor can begin to see abilities in themselves that they previously overlooked. This can be especially important for teenagers who are struggling academically, dealing with difficult family circumstances or uncertain about their future.
According to a meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Community Psychology in 2018, researchers examined 30 studies and found that young people with natural mentors tended to experience better outcomes, with the strongest associations involving social-emotional development and academic and vocational functioning. The researchers also found that the quality of the relationship mattered more than simply having a mentor.
This distinction is important. A mentor is not effective merely because they attend meetings with a young person. The relationship needs trust, consistency, respect and genuine support.
Resilience does not mean that young people never experience failure, grief, rejection or disappointment. It means developing the ability to face difficult experiences and continue moving forward.
A mentor can help make this possible by helping a young person turn difficult experiences into lessons rather than permanent labels.
For example, instead of allowing a failed examination to become “I am not intelligent,” a mentor can help the student examine what went wrong, develop a better study routine and set a realistic target for the next examination. The same principle can apply to career setbacks, broken friendships and other challenges.
A UNICEF report published in 2024 on adolescent girls in the Sahel identified trusted friends and adult mentors as important sources of support for resilience. The research, conducted in Mali, Mauritania and Niger, also highlighted the importance of supportive networks and safe spaces where adolescents can develop their individual and collective capacity to cope with challenges.
UNICEF’s report on building resilience among adolescent girls in the Sahel
Youth mentorship should not be limited to motivational conversations. Some of its greatest value comes from helping young people develop practical skills they can use outside the mentoring relationship.
These may include communication, goal-setting, decision-making, problem-solving, emotional regulation, teamwork, time management and career planning.
Research supports this more targeted approach. A meta-analysis published in 2020 examined 48 youth mentoring studies and found that targeted, skills-based mentoring programmes had more than twice the effect of non-specific approaches focused mainly on friendship and general support. The findings suggest that mentoring becomes more effective when it is connected to specific developmental needs and goals.
This means a mentor might help a teenager prepare for an interview rather than simply telling them to “work hard”. They might teach them how to introduce themselves, answer questions, communicate professionally and learn from rejection.
Confidence is often built through experience rather than encouragement alone.
A young person who sets a goal, works towards it and eventually succeeds gains evidence that effort can produce results. Even small achievements can become building blocks for greater self-belief.
A 2022 study examining mentoring conversations among middle-school girls found that discussions about goals, relationships and hopes for the future were associated with several developmental outcomes, including self-esteem and life satisfaction.
The practical lesson is straightforward: mentors should create opportunities for young people to make decisions, solve problems and experience achievement rather than doing everything for them.
The evidence also provides an important warning. Mentorship is not automatically successful.
A major meta-analysis published in 2019 examined 70 studies involving 25,286 young people and found a statistically significant overall benefit from youth mentoring, but the researchers described the effects as modest and stressed the importance of improving programme quality.
The Education Endowment Foundation’s mentoring evidence review, updated in 2025, similarly describes the evidence as moderate and estimates an average impact equivalent to about two additional months of educational progress. It also warns that improvements in confidence, resilience and aspirations can be difficult to sustain once mentoring ends.
Good programmes therefore need reliable mentors, careful matching, clear objectives, safeguarding, regular contact and appropriate training.
The need for strong youth support is particularly relevant in Nigeria. According to The State of Nigeria’s Children 2024, nearly 105 million Nigerians aged 0 to 17 represent about half of the country’s population. UNICEF describes investment in children and adolescents as a major opportunity for long-term human-capital and social development.
Youth mentorship cannot solve every problem facing young Nigerians. But a consistent relationship with a responsible adult can give a young person something extremely valuable: perspective.
Sometimes, what a young person needs is not another lecture. They need someone who will listen, ask the right questions, share honest experience, teach practical skills and stay present when things become difficult.
That is where effective mentorship can move beyond inspiration and become a genuine tool for building confidence, resilience and the life skills young people need to shape their future.
