Mentor Tip: Success

Subject: Mentoring tips on success

You can play a significant role in encouraging young people to develop their own definitions of success. You can also help them achieve success. Consider the following suggestions from young people and adults with disabilities who participated in an online discussion about this topic.

• I think teachers and parents need to help their kids understand what it is they want out of life. I believe that happiness is the key factor to a lot of things. It's one of the key factors that goes into picking a school, a career, a spouse, and a home. I believe that success is accomplishing the goals that make you happy.
• Help young people accept their disabilities as a part of who they are yet not allow themselves to be defined by them.
• Provide young people with support that can lead to greater self-confidence, skills, and self-determination.
• Set reasonable boundaries and expectations.
• Help young people make constructive use of their time.
• Model positive values.
• Help kids develop positive friendships and good social skills.
• Understand that you will never be able to shelter kids from everything all of their lives. Let them experience things while they are developing problem-solving skills so that they will be able to decide on their own what they should do and not what they think others want them to do.
• Let them know that their contributions and friendships are valued.
• Teach young people how to use the resources necessary to become independent and achieve a high quality of life. Knowing what's available in the community, taking advantage of those resources, and using them effectively and efficiently are keys to success.