Determining the form of leadership that best ‘fits’ for practice in youth mentoring

Abstract

There has been a lot of literature and study on youth mentoring. However, little has been found in the literature that explains the form of leadership model that is being practiced in a mentoring relationship. Moreover, this is a complex issue since mentoring takes place in many settings, and in the partnering relationship. A mentor also plays a variety of roles, and that there is reciprocal influences and power suggesting that leadership is at play and practiced by both parties. This paper therefore explores, examines, and discusses the forms of leadership that could best ‘fit’ in a youth mentoring programme. This will also include literature on mentoring and its practices in the youth, its non-formal learning context, a variety of several leadership concepts and theories; discussed those literature and determine the leadership practices that best fit this context of youth leadership. The findings had suggested a ‘bottom-up multidimensional’ approach to leadership employing various leadership concepts and models. This can then serve to be a generic model for practice, as well as for further study to establish a leadership model for different settings, such as in the context of youth learning mentorship programme that can contribute to positive youth change.