Healing through Connection
- Barry Smith
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
2026 Child and Youth Care World Conference
EmpowerU Mentoring: Beyond a Strength-Based Approach
June 26, 2026
Why are some people commited and some people rebelous?
Rebel, Quit
The individual resists or rejects mentoring, coaching, teaching efforts entirely. They may defy guidance, withdraw from the relationship, or disengage from any attempt to support or direct them. They show no interest or want to do it their own way.
Malicious Obedience
The person technically follows directions but does so with a negative attitude or in a way that undermines the intent. There's no genuine buy-in, and they may be passively resistant.
Willing Compliance
The individual accepts mentoring, coaching and teaching and follows guidance without resistance. They do what’s asked, but without deeper emotional investment or initiative.
Cheerful Cooperation
The individual actively participates and contributes with a positive attitude. They see value in the mentoring process and are open, responsive, and optimistic.
Heartfelt Commitment
The individual is deeply invested in the mentoring relationship or the task at hand. They take ownership of their growth, trust the mentor, and show dedication to their development and goals.
Creative Excitement
The highest level of engagement, where the individual not only embraces mentoring but brings energy, innovation, and enthusiasm. They start to mentor others, drive their own progress, and contribute new ideas.
How do we even the playing field?
The Sour Kangaroo and the Obsurtity of a speck...
The Sour Kangaroo and the Absurdity of a Speck
In Horton Hears a Who!, the Sour Kangaroo dismisses the speck because she cannot see what Horton sees. To her, the idea that an entire world exists on a tiny speck of dust is absurd. Yet Horton refuses to abandon his belief.
Many young people experience life as that speck. They carry dreams, talents, strengths, and possibilities that are invisible to others, and often invisible to themselves. Along the way, they encounter Sour Kangaroos: people, systems, and experiences that question their worth, dismiss their potential, or define them by their struggles rather than their possibilities.
Great mentors, youth workers, coaches, and educators choose to be more like Horton. They look beyond labels, behaviours, and circumstances to recognize the unseen potential within each young person. They hold belief when belief is fragile. They protect possibility when others dismiss it. They see what could be, not just what is.
The challenge for all who work with youth is simple: Will you be the voice that doubts the speck, or the one that believes in it? Every young person deserves someone willing to see beyond the obvious and help them discover the greatness that may still be hidden from view. Sometimes, a single person who believes can change the course of a life.
Chantal Petitclerc & Gaston Jacques
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