The mentor will be assigned to a young person and will be responsible for meeting with the mentee on a weekly basis, four hours a week. A one-year commitment is the minimum accepted. The volunteer may be asked to work on certain aspects of the young person's development. He or she will work closely with agency staff through phone contact, personal conferences and group meetings to understand the youth and his or her family better and to facilitate activities to help the child.

The volunteer will serve as an example/role model to demonstrate that adults can give, and should receive, respect (and will make an occasional mistake). Self-realization and improved self-esteem for the young person are important goals of the relationship. It should be emphasized that the volunteer in no way replaces the parent or the family's social worker. Rather, he or she provides interested, compassionate friendship.