It's the one question every young person must face - what are you going to do with your life?

It's also the one question that can be the most daunting for a young woman, and it never hurts to have a little help.

The YWCA is on a mission to help female teens achieve peace of mind with its high school mentorship program.

It puts professional women with high school girls in a one-on-one monthly meeting. The two become mentor and mentee, discussing everything from career and school options to life.

Typically, a mentor will be paired with the mentee's interests in mind. For example, a girl interested in health care can be paired with a nurse or doctor.

However, the YWCA can't keep up with the demand coming from the Tri-Cities.

Mentorship manager Janice Lee said every year staff draw in at least 30 girls per school to speak about mentorship, but more than half can't commit because of a lack of mentors near their home.

"Finding mentors in the Tri-Cities has always been a challenge," Lee said. "And we don't know why. We see a lot of professionals moving into the community, yet I really don't see that transferring into having more mentors."

Mentoring a young woman can be one of the most rewarding experiences, she said, and nurse and mentor Anna Glaze couldn't agree more.

Glaze has been a mentor for six years. She's been a registered nurse for three.

She started mentoring young women when she was still in post-secondary school.

"I remember me entering university and entering my studies and I was very much in shock," Glaze said. "I was very much overwhelmed. It definitely affected my mood and overall stress levels.

Knowing what to expect or be prepared for it would have helped so much."

And that's exactly why she joined the program as a mentor - to help young women prepare.

"It would have been really great in high school if I really knew what was going on," Glaze said. "What nursing was about, what I can expect from the program, what I can expect from work?

"It was a big shocker going into the job world and it would have been great to see my options instead of stumbling into them myself."

Glaze has taken on one mentee a year for six years, helping guide young women into either her profession or another.

Depending on the girl and her interests, Glaze helps paint a realistic picture of what to expect in school and the workforce. She said if there are interested mentors out there, she has a few pieces of advice to get started.

"Be open-minded. Be supportive if they change their choices, because a lot of the time people do change their choices of what they want to do."

She said a mentor must be infinitely supportive, even if the mentee doesn't heed their advice. But most of all, just be honest.

"Be honest with them in telling them what's great about it and what's not so great about it," she said.

Being a mentor requires three to four hours a month to sit down and chat with a young woman about pursuits and goals. Mentorship is restricted to professional women. Those interested are asked to contact Janice Lee at 604-895-5802 or visit www. ywcavan.org.

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