April 09, 2026, Durham, NC – Afterschool programs provide students with opportunities for connection, growth, and learning beyond the classroom. One powerful way afterschool programs can strengthen their impact is by incorporating a mentoring approach into their staff’s everyday interactions with students. Fostering meaningful, safe relationships between youth and afterschool staff through mentoring supports student development in afterschool settings. Mentoring training can help make that possible.

Why a Mentoring Approach Matters in Afterschool Settings

Afterschool staff and volunteers interact with youth in a unique environment. Afterschool programs often provide more flexibility to build relationships, offer more individualized support, and create a greater sense of belonging than the typical school day.

By using a mentoring approach, afterschool staff and volunteers can:

  • Build stronger, more trusting relationships with youth
  • Support social and emotional development
  • Encourage positive decision-making and goal setting
  • Create a more engaging and supportive program environment

Even when programs are not structured as formal mentoring programs, mentoring skills can enhance how staff and volunteers connect with students.

Training Staff and Volunteers to Take a Mentoring Approach

Many afterschool staff and volunteers are passionate about working with youth but may not have formal training in how to build effective, supportive relationships.

Mentoring Central’s Ethics and Safety course is a strong starting point for afterschool programs looking to equip their staff with these skills. This training helps instructors and volunteers learn how to:

  • Build positive, trusting relationships with youth
  • Maintain appropriate boundaries
  • Recognize and respond to safety concerns
  • Create a safe and supportive environment for all participants

In afterschool settings, where interactions are often less structured than the school day, understanding ethics and safety is essential. This training ensures that staff can take a mentoring approach while maintaining professionalism and protecting both youth and adults.

By providing this foundation, programs can confidently support meaningful connections between staff and students.

Creating Peer Mentoring Opportunities for Youth

Afterschool programs are also well-positioned to create peer mentoring opportunities, where older youth support younger students; however, young people must first understand the role of a mentor. Without guidance, older students may not fully understand how to support younger peers in a positive and effective way.

Mentoring Central’s Building the Foundation course can help prepare older youth and adolescents to take on this role. Through this training, young mentors learn how to:

  • Communicate effectively with younger students
  • Offer encouragement and support
  • Understand what it means to be a mentor
  • Develop responsibility and leadership skills

Providing this type of training helps ensure that peer mentoring relationships are intentional, positive, and beneficial for everyone involved.

Strengthening Program Impact Through Training

Incorporating mentoring training into afterschool programs does not require a complete redesign of your program. Instead, it enhances what staff and youth are already doing. At the heart of every effective afterschool program is a strong relationship between youth and the adults, and peers, who support them. Mentoring trainings help ensure those relationships are intentional, safe, and impactful.

When staff, volunteers, and youth are equipped with the right skills, afterschool programs can move beyond supervision and enrichment activities to become spaces where young people feel supported, valued, and encouraged to grow.

Ready to strengthen relationships in your afterschool program? Explore Mentoring Central’s training courses and start building a mentoring approach that supports every young person in your program: mentoringcentral.net/mentoring-training/.