It may take many weeks, maybe months, before there is any kind of relationship with enough trust to encourage the teenager to solicit the elder's opinion. The terms of the association would control the kind and extent of any help the mentor might wish to volunteer. These are details, however important. Once the probationary requirements have been met, it's up to the two parties as to the future, if any, of the relationship. The fact that it is a volunteer effort, devoid of selfish interest, sends a message that many young people never before have received.
Someone really does care.
Someone not driven by fear, duty, anger, or ambition wants to help. A disestablished someone devoid of the trappings of authority. Sort of a surrogate grandparent. Or, in the case of first-time offenders, it could be applied as a substitute for incarceration. The flipside of puberty Such a program's foundation rests on the mentor's 'senior' status.