MENTOR: Strategies to Inspire Young People

“Robin Cox offers wisdom and encouragement in this comprehensive and marvelously accessible volume. The clear and descriptive section and chapter headings provide easy access to content that has an engaging balance of theory, real life stories, strategy, tips, encouragement—and inspiration! I highly recommend this fine book as the go-to resource for anyone committed to walking alongside young people, to guide and support them on their journey of awakening to their unique potential.”


—Rudi Pakendorf, educator and business consultant





“As author of this vital book on mentoring, Robin Cox proves to be a ‘wise guide.’ He presents a compassionate and carefully considered view of what it means to be a mentor to young people, and how, as adults, we might embrace this role well. The reflections Robin presents from young people say so much. We may long for the energy of our youth, but time and experience give us both the wisdom of understanding and the understanding required to share our wisdom well. Being a mentor, provides a great opportunity for adults to guide, support and listen to young people as they find their own way forward.”


—Helen Street, author of Contextual Wellbeing





MENTOR: Strategies to Inspire Young People is a powerful and comprehensive guide that equips mentors, educators, parents, and coaches with over 1000 proven strategies to make a meaningful impact on today’s youth. This book promotes the spirit of mentoring that can transform the lives of both mentors and mentees through the powerful connections and relationships it creates. Whether you're an experienced mentor or new to the role, this book will empower you to connect with and guide young people, ultimately helping them achieve success. I highly recommend it to anyone passionate about shaping the future of our youth.


Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the Thinkers50#1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.





With information explosion all around us, doubling every thirteen hours, our youths today desperately need teachers and parents who have the mentoring skills to encourage them to embrace their full self-learning potential—with attributes like self-motivation, self-awareness, self-care, and more. With the many communication and questioning strategies, as well as suggestions for activities that can engage gentle mentoring opportunities, Robin Cox provides the solution to the typical problems that teens face today such as addiction to the internet, social media, and more. Overall, my most inspiring insight from this book would be that the ideas herein could possibly prevent future tragedies like those of the legendary Sandy Hook school and others that followed. This book is a winner! Self-learning accompanied by coaching and mentoring will be the future of education.


Dr. Jeannette J. Vos, educator, author, The Learning Revolution 2.0: Self-Learning; Self-Learning: Future of Education; coauthor, The Learning Revolution, United States of America





Robin Cox is right to highlight the vital role of mentoring in these chaotic times, and we are fortunate that he has taken time-out to share his wide-ranging experience, stories, and strategies. Here is a book written from the heart, a valuable resource for the many working with young people: a still, calm voice in a world beset by confusion and social influencers.


Peter A. Barnard, author, retired school principal, United Kingdom





In his MENTOR: Strategies to Inspire Young People, in addition to offering decades’ worth of mentoring wisdom, Robin Cox subtly guides the reader, asking all the right questions to provoke self-reflection. The discoveries made may then be applied while assisting youngsters to become the best version of themselves. The book is not only inspirational, but also very practical. In a world where it is exceedingly difficult to get a rewarding job, effective tips and strategies are offered. It is a must-read for anyone who aims to empower young people and help them become valued members of society.


Magdalena Brzezinska, University Lecturer and Instructor, Curator of Linking Worlds Project, Poland





In a post-pandemic world, where 'influencers' are invading young lives, I cannot recommend this book more highly. It is practical, full of insightful questions, moving stories and clear strategies to help mentors with their mentees. This book sends a message of hope and encouragement and helps mentors flourish and grow as much as their mentees. It is reflective, creative and full of resources—and, above all, it helps young people to live their lives in all the rich fullness God intended.


Alastair Reid, former Indian and UK school principal, General Secretary of TISCA (The Independent Schools Christian Alliance)—based in the United Kingdom





Throughout his book Robin shares his vast experiences to engage the reader by providing valuable tips for parents, school staff, family members and friends to ensure we continue to equip our youth with life’s essential tools. Many aspects of the book reflected my own experience when I assisted a mentee who failed to see the relevance of education due to a disconnect on all levels. The most important twenty-first-century emotional, entrepreneurial, and employability skills is just one of the many aspects of Robin’s book that will help us create more sustainable and meaningful lives.


Helen McFadden, Australia





Our indigenous Māori people of New Zealand, use the term “Taonga” to define something of great worth and to be highly treasured. In the youth landscape of Aotearoa and beyond, this book is indeed a “Taonga” to us all. Robin’s new book encapsulates both strong traditional timeless mentoring principles and values for all peoples and cultures—whilst embracing the challenges of a post-COVID era with strategies to support young people. This book is full of practical principles and ideas to support youth born from a wealth of wisdom from Robin’s personal outstanding mentoring journey. We regard this book as a ‘must read’ for all adults supporting youth and young adults. Thank you, Robin, and thank you for the support and inspiration you have provided for myself and our organization over the years.


Ross McCook, Founding director: Heart For Youth Trust, New Zealand





Communication and active listening are key to establishing strong mentoring relationships based on mutual trust and confidence. Open-ended questions versus what I call closed questioning yield the best results. Within the pages of this book are a plethora of examples of questions that offer the best ways for mentors and mentees to communicate with each other. In my experience, mentors tell me that sometimes they hit a stone wall when trying to communicate with their mentee, leading to great frustration. The author’s list provides helpful and probing questions which I believe will yield positive outcomes.


Dr. Susan G. Weinberger, President, Mentor Consulting Group, United States of America





This book by Robin Cox is like the ideal mentor: educational, inspiring, and practical. Written in clear and elegant prose, it contains detailed strategies and recommendations that draw on a lifetime’s work in the field. This book is valuable to me as a father, a business leader and as a citizen. If everyone read MENTOR: Strategies to Inspire Young People and took its generous wisdom to heart, it would make the world a better place.


Dr Adrian Enthoven, Chairman: Hollard Insurance Group, South Africa





MENTOR: Strategies to Inspire Young People, by Robin Cox, brilliantly cuts through the rigidity of standardized education to approach mentoring through the use of emotional, social, and inspirational methods. By refocusing the term strategies to encompass the qualitative aspects of being human, the author develops fluid techniques based on the intangible traits which motivate human behavior. What makes this book particularly enticing are the case studies used to illustrate real-world examples of motivational mentoring, and the way the author employs holistic concepts based on the inner consciousness to portray practice-based guidance for working with the emotional individuality of youth.


Edward Cromarty, EdD, PCHPE, Certs., United States of America





Books of this quality serve to recalibrate our analysis of life’s events and to remind us that reflection and introspective thinking should be an integral part of life of all our lives. Two themes run through this book which is a treasure trove for any adult involved in mentoring. The first is the importance of young people having a trusted and respected mentor. The erosion of confidence engendered by the insidious nature of social media in an adolescent’s life cannot be underestimated, thus making even more important the role of a wise and understanding mentor. To quote Lemery, the mentor provides the ‘steady hand on the shoulder when life gets a little rocky.’ What a wonderful image this conjures up. The second message is the importance which Robin attaches to promoting personal mastery whereby the mentor understands what lies within the mentee, draws it out and creates the


realization that there is ‘something inside them which is greater than any obstacle.’ I wish I had access to a book like this when I started my teaching career.


Keith Richardson: CEO of the Principals Academy Trust, South Africa





From the age of fifteen I was fortunate enough to have Robin Cox as a sports coach and mentor at High School, and reading this insightful book brings back great memories of how anyone who builds trust through empathy, provides personal development challenges and unwavering support can guide and influence young people. So many of my life choices have been guided by Robin’s influence. What truly stands out for me in this book, as a father, husband and lawyer, is the power of simply asking questions in a genuine, supportive and loving fashion. This thoughtful approach can unlock real answers for empowering young lives.


Warren Van Rooyen, Commercial Lawyer, New Zealand





Every once in a while, you come across something special. Something that ignites interest, makes you reflect, and challenges your own ideas on a subject. Robin’s book is one such thing. His knowledge and insight into Mentoring cause the reader to stop and revisit their own past conversations, working out how differently the narrative would have been had they read the book before. Read it and observe your own Mentoring skills move to a new level.


Talan Skeels-Piggins PLY MA, Mentor and Mentor Liaison, United Kingdom





I have just read Robin's simple, profound and practical book on mentorship. It is inspirational and challenges us all to think and act intentionally to support and mentor young people in their journey to adulthood. He writes with deep insight of many years of engagement with teenagers. This book should be in the hands of every teacher who cares about the future.


Roger Cameron, retired Executive Head, St John's College, Johannesburg, South Africa





Robin Cox has written a timely book about an important subject. The result is a deeply insightful yet hugely practical soup-to-nuts, read-in-one-go or dip-in-and-out set of tips and techniques which will radically improve the effectiveness of a mentor and the healthy and rounded development of a mentee. It follows a logical sequence, sets out what mentoring is and how it should be approached and implemented all in a relaxed and authoritative way. The book makes literally hundreds of practical mentoring points, each one a lever to pull to improve the lot of a young person trying to become the best they can be.


Nicky Bicket, Management Consultant and Coach, United Kingdom





Cox has, once again, produced an excellent resource for those who seek to mentor teenagers. Apart from identifying effective mentorship as a means of helping teenagers post the trauma of the global pandemic, he gives practical solutions and advice to those in need—teachers and parents in particular—and his book provides much-needed help. Easy to read in one sitting, it is also a resource one can return to when required, as his advice is accessible and highly readable.


Tony Reeler, Principal: Bishops Diocesan College, Cape Town, South Africa





Robin Cox provides a reservoir of relevant information for the guidance of adult mentors just when world youth are most in need of empowering relationships with significant others. The information is drawn from Robin’s decades of education leadership and significant research. Personal stories breathe life into the application of a wealth of relevant mentoring skills and strategies.


Gordon D. Paterson, PhD, Author, Former Director of Ad Rem International Ltd., New Zealand