Character development through mentoring · Ages 15–17

theMarkYear 2: Purpose and meaning

Your teenager is about to choose what to study, who to spend time with and how to live. Here they work out what it is all for, and leave with it written down.

Who it is for: Teenagers aged 15 to 17. They can start straight into Year 2: Year 1 is not a requirement.
Rhythm: One group session a month, plus a one-to-one conversation with their mentor. Eight themes across the year.
When they finish: One certificate per year — Year 2's when you complete it.

What your teenager takes away

1They leave with their purpose written down.The year ends with their vision board: their own goals, on paper and in front of them.
2They learn how to choose.The eight themes are the decisions they are already making: what to study, who their friends are, work, family.
3They are not doing it alone.A trained mentor walks the whole year with them, and they think it through alongside their friends.

How it works

theMark puts conversation at the centre. Once a month: group mentoring with their friends, and a one-to-one with their mentor, who does not give them a lesson but helps them set their own goals.

The eight themes of Year 2: The Meaning of theMark 2.0 · Purpose Mode: On · Your Friends · Work Shapes You · Future Family · Great Ideals · In Search of Happiness · Bridges Between Stories 2.0

What it asks of the family

From your teenager, once a month: the group session, the conversation with their mentor, and their action in between. From you: getting them there, asking what they worked on, and little else.

Happiness has to do with the capacity to love and be loved: what Harvard calls meaningful relationships. And character traits (self-control, perseverance, integrity) are consistently associated with better outcomes, at school and at work.

Sign up at your organisation Ask about theMark · Year 2 at the school or organisation where this leaflet reached you.