Mentoring and volunteering – The visible and invisible paths of growth
Irén Godó – Katalin Godo – Dávid Weisz
Abstract
Mentoring is a defining tool in organizational development, and it has become increasingly important in recent years both in k profssional and educational contexts. In our study, we examine mentoring and volunteering together since these two areas are mostly presented separately in the literature analyses. Based on a review of the international literature, we wish to highlight that mentoring, as a method and as a supportive relationship, and volunteering, as a form of prosocial behavior, are connected in many ways. In our analysis, we examine the role that mentoring can play in the types of volunteering, especially in relation to formal, informal, and community volunteering activities. We also address the circular process of mentoring, the role of lay and professional mentors, and the significance of reciprocal mentoring based on the results of our previous studies. This approach allows us to interpret mentoring and volunteering not only as two separate categories, but also to view them embedded in a common context. Our literature review and analysis aim to contribute to the expansion of the discourse on the two research topics and to draw attention to how the hitherto little-discussed phenomenon of latent mentoring can enrich the practice of volunteer management from a methodological perspective.
Keywords: mentoring, reciprocal mentoring, volunteering, latent mentoring, volunteer participation, anonymous mentor