Relationship Strategy Box

A strategy box is a simple tool that helps youth apply strategies and actions that have led to previous success to new challenges and problems. This version actually helps mentors reflect on how to build stronger mentoring relationships by getting them to think about the actions they took to build strong relationships with other people in their life. 

Instructions: 

1. A Strategy Box has four quadrants. In three of the quadrants,list three strong relationships you have with others (try to include relationshipsthat you perhaps struggled with at first or relationships with other youngpeople). In the fourth, list your mentoring relationship.
   
   
2. Next, list the most important strategies, actions, or traditions that helped you form those strong relationships. What were your successes factors? How did you progress through the challenges? What actions did you take? How did you adapt as the relationship changed over time? List as many as you can.
   
   
3. The last step is to see if any of these relationship strategies could be applied to your mentoring relationship.
   

This may be most valuable to mentors early in their relationships as they are thinking about how they will bond with a new mentee or student.