Barry Smith
netMINDer
empowerU
Guiding Mentors. Igniting Change.
The Mentoring Process
Trying to accomplish a task without a plan is like trying to navigate a ship without a compass; you may sail aimlessly, but you may never reach your destination.
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Overview: The Mentoring Process
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Mentoring is not about giving answers — it’s about guiding young people to discover their own voice, choices, and purpose. Regardless of the activity (sports, school, work, or life), we move through a process. This approach works regardless of background or ability. Mentoring is a process of liberation, not compliance — a shift from “fixing” to fueling potential.
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Thinking
We help them understand the world, their ideas, and their worth.
Core
We meet youth where they are, seeing through their eyes and building trust.
Doing
We support them as they take action, make choices, and move forward.
One of the most powerful things a mentor can do is help someone move from resistance to enthusiasm by nurturing their growth, building trust, and increasing their level of engagement step by step.
The Levels of Engagement
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
The Mentoring Framework
Our mentoring approach is built to inspire by unlocking their potential—not through control, but through trust, reflection, and purposeful action.
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The Process:
Core → Thinking → Doing
This cycle supports young people to understand themselves, make sense of their world, and move forward with intention.
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Core (Relationship & Meaning): Build trust and help youth explore who they are and what matters to them.
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Thinking (Understanding & Curiosity): Encourage reflection, critical thinking, and deeper understanding.
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Doing (Action & Growth): Support purposeful action, adaptability, and strategic planning.​
We don’t fix people —we help them see their strengths, own their path, and thrive. Hover over each element and follow the link.
Assessing Quality
Adapting Resources
Planning Strategies
Rationalizing Perception
Integrating & Differentiating Perspective
Articulating Meaning
Valuing Knowledge
Harmonizing Information
Contemplating Ideas
Perspective
​The Lens That Shapes Your Message.
Perspective is the unique point of view shaped by your background, culture, beliefs, and life experiences. It influences how you interpret situations, what you notice, and how you communicate. Any challenge to overcome, your perspective determines the meaning you assign and the words you choose. It affects your tone, assumptions, and the examples you use — framing every message through your personal lens.
Perception
Perception is how you sense, interpret, and understand what’s happening around you—it’s what you notice, feel, and believe based on your experiences and your senses. It shapes what feels important to express, the emotions behind your words, and how you respond in conversation. For example, if you perceive someone’s silence as judgment, you might express insecurity; if you see it as tiredness, you may show concern. The same situation can feel entirely different depending on your perception—because it’s not just what’s happening, but how you experience it that shapes your meaning.
Articulating Meaning
​Articulating Meaning is about expressing how you see and experience the world—shaped by both your perception (what you believe to be true) and your perspective (the position you're seeing it from). Two people can view the same situation and walk away with different interpretations because of their personal experiences. Understanding this helps us become clear, more empathetic communicators. It reduces miscommunication, deepens self-awareness, and builds the skills to express ideas thoughtfully—especially in moments of conflict, leadership, or teaching.
Doing Elements:
Action, Adaptation & Growth
Assessing Quality
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Assessing Quality means helping individuals learn to evaluate their own efforts and choices through the lens of growth rather than perfection. Instead of focusing on getting everything right, they begin to understand progress, effort, and learning as valuable outcomes. This shift encourages self-assessment, resilience, and a healthier relationship with mistakes—fostering confidence and persistence rather than fear of failure.
Adapting Resources
Adapting Resources means learning how to identify, access, and adjust tools, support systems, or knowledge to fit different situations and challenges. It’s not just about knowing what’s available—it’s about using resources creatively and confidently to meet changing needs. This skill builds independence, encourages flexible thinking, and helps youth become more capable problem-solvers in both everyday life and complex situations.
Planning Strategies
Planning Strategies involves helping youth set meaningful goals, create realistic plans, and take actionable steps toward what matters to them. It’s the bridge between ideas and outcomes—where vision turns into movement. By building this skill, young people learn to organize their thoughts, make intentional choices, and take ownership of their growth.I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
Thinking Elements:
Processing, Reflecting & Framing
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​Valuing Knowledge
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Valuing Knowledge means encouraging curiosity and helping individuals recognize that learning happens everywhere—in school, in sport, in nature, in art, in work, in life, and through culture. It nurtures a mindset shift from “I have to learn” to “I want to understand,” making learning feel relevant, personal, and empowering. When people see knowledge as meaningful, they become more open, engaged, and self-motivated.
Harmonizing Information
Harmonizing Information is the ability to connect ideas, experiences, and subjects to see the bigger picture. It helps individuals recognize patterns, make sense of complexity, and build critical thinking skills. By learning to link what they know across different contexts, they develop deeper understanding and insight into how things relate and why they matter.
Contemplating Ideas
Contemplating Ideas means creating space for people to think deeply, ask meaningful questions, and reflect before reacting. It encourages them to pause, explore their thoughts, and trust their inner process. This practice builds self-awareness, confidence, and a stronger sense of clarity in how they understand and respond to the world around them.
The Big Picture
This mentoring framework isn’t a checklist—it’s a mindset rooted in empathy, understanding, and purposeful action. We begin by building trust (Core), deepen awareness (Thinking), and support meaningful steps forward (Doing). It’s a flexible approach that honors each person’s voice, story, and unique potential. What makes it effective isn’t just the tools we use, but the way we show up—as guides who empower, not control.
​When we mentor this way, we send a powerful message...
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You are not broken.
You have potential.
Let’s discover what matters to you.
