A white child or tween is wearing a pink poncho and clear blue visor. They have rainbows painted on each cheek. They are holding a rainbow flag behind them and blowing on a whistle.

"DSC_7535" by GetEvent.Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Leave your mind and heart open to being changed by your mentee — not just in how it makes you feel to mentor someone but, more importantly, in how your thinking and your feelings may change by learning from your mentee about their life, experiences, worldview, and opinions.

As a meme i saw on Facebook many years ago said (and i'm paraphrasing here), "If you're over 35 and don't have a mentor under 25, what are you doing wrong with your life?"

And going back to the choice of "reflecting" in the name of this website, mentors, especially LGBTQA+/SGL ones, have a fantastic opportunity to embody both senses of the verb "reflect" with their mentees:

  • Ask your mentee how you can reflect their light and, if relevant, activism to the world. Then listen and follow up on their suggestions!
A white teen who presents as a girl has curly brown hair and rings in her nose and gum,. She smiles at the camera with a rainbow flag wrapped around her head.
Photo by Darina Belonogova.