The advent of the internet and social media heralded a bright future defined by seamless communication, where anyone could talk to everyone whenever they wanted.
Unfortunately, this utopian pipe dream never fully materialized. Instead, we seem to be backsliding into a dangerous era of noncommunication, where the very structures of connection seem to drive us further and further apart.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the well-documented male loneliness epidemic. The issue is so prevalent that HHS even released an advisory notice to provide guidance.
Increasingly siloed online content and media have pushed young men into dangerous corners of the internet, driven by algorithms designed to perpetuate isolation and self-delusion. The disappearance of reliable public third spaces and the degradation of social gathering spots mean that for many young men, the internet is the only place where they feel at home.
Mentorship can be that third space, providing a guiding light for young men seeking direction. Mentorship provides role models, emotional support, professional guidance, and community. These are benefits that extend well beyond career advice. Concurrently, mentoring creates opportunities for experienced professionals to develop as leaders while making a lasting impact and potentially changing someone’s life.
Young men need positive role models
Developmental relationships gained through mentoring are extremely valuable. In fact, research has persistently shown that developmental relationships are among the strongest predictors of young people’s motivation and long-term success.
The mentor-mentee dynamic allows a seasoned professional to impart actual healthy life advice in a context that garners respect and admiration. This relationship can go beyond career advice and provide context for what productive, satisfying adulthood is for someone who feels as if such a resource is out of reach.
Too often, people rely on lecturing to drive a point home. Imagine you’re a young man who is lonely and often confused about his place in the world. Would hearing a lecture from a stern adult give you any reason to actually change your outlook? Of course not.
Mentors do more than lecture. They serve as role models in which a young person can see one of many futures. Real impact is felt with positive feedback, reinforcement, and encouragement that eschews lecturing and relies on listening to the mentee’s problems and meeting them eye to eye.
Many young men lack regular access to any sort of professional role model, especially in the careers they aspire to enter – or the careers they never knew were accessible in the first place. A mentor, therefore, can help feel success attainable, rather than an abstract, out-of-reach concept.
Mentorship gives young men a safe space to be honest
Society can be unkind to young men. It is hard to grow up in an environment where emotional intelligence is often frowned upon, and from youth you are expected to appear confident, independent, and emotionally self-sufficient at all times, no questions asked.
When combined with the persistent reality of disconnection and loneliness, this leads to a particularly insidious issue where young men may find it improper or even unmasculine to ask questions or admit uncertainty.
A trusted mentor provides a haven for young men to break out of their shells. Aside from simply being a friend, a mentor can also serve as a confidant, a place for young men to spill their emotions without fear of anyone learning about it.
In a professional context, this is especially important because many young men tamp down their emotions while struggling with career anxiety, imposter syndrome, college decisions, and more. Offering a safe space with a professional mentor who serves as a role model obviates the need to hide one’s emotions.
With the proper mentor, loneliness and isolation can be turned into community and relationship-building.
Community and encouragement build lasting confidence
Confidence rarely develops in isolation. It builds with a passionate, helpful community of people who understand a person’s issues and are ready and willing to provide guidance.
And for young men struggling to find connection in a disconnected world, confidence can be extremely hard to come by. Isolation breeds self-loathing, and without any help it can snowball into a whirlwind that damages relationships and impacts career potential.
Confidence grows through repeated experiences – with a mentor, for example – where someone believes in your potential, encourages you after setbacks, celebrates progress, and offers constructive criticism.
This is where mentors, especially mentors at Wevise, thrive. Good mentorship is all about building community and offering a diversity of experiences and viewpoints for a mentee to grow alongside. Community-based mentoring allows young men to learn from others’ experiences, find valuable networking opportunities, and get crucial exposure to different industries and career prospects.
Sometimes, it is possible to change someone’s life through the simple act of helping them to see the potential the world has to offer beyond their computer screen.
Wevise helps build meaningful mentoring relationships
Young men are lonely, and mentors are a key component of helping them break out of the strictures binding them to isolation. Wevise’s mentors serve as positive role models, offering honest conversations aimed at building a community and a network to help foster confidence and professional growth.
Join Wevise as a mentor today and take the first step towards changing a young man’s life.