Character development through mentoring · Ages 15–17

Their transcript opens the door. Who they are decides what happens next.

Two years of conversations with their group and with their mentor, for teenagers aged 15 to 17.

How it works

Two years, eight sessions each. This is your teenager's month:

Once a month, for realGroup mentoring: one session with their friends and a facilitator. theMark provides the theme and the material.
A mentor, not a teacherOne-to-one conversations, at the pace your organisation sets. Their mentor neither marks them nor decides their future, so they can be asked who they want to become.
And work of their own in betweenWhatever they decide to do with what they talked about. That is the part that makes it theirs.

The sixteen themes, eight a year: Year 1 · TheMark's Purpose · I Am Within My Relationships · Temperament · Virtues for Growth · Emotions as Allies to Your Goals · Your Values, Your Commitments · Your Identity, Your Strength · Bridges Between Stories. 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 the sessions look like

Eight sessions a year, each with its own deck, its activity and an action for the month.

What your teenager takes away

1They know themselves better.They find out who they are and what actually makes them grow, not what they are supposed to be.
2They leave with their purpose written down.The second year ends with their goals on paper, in front of them.
3They are not doing it alone.A trained mentor walks both years with them, and they grow alongside their friends.

What it asks of the family

From your teenager: the group session each month, their conversation with the mentor when it comes round, and the action they set themselves. From you: asking what they worked on, and little else.

One certificate per year, awarded by Universidad Villanueva.

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.

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