Mentor Leadership Training Program

Role Plays

bullet  What To Do

Now you will have another chance to role play being a mentor. Remember to ask questions to encourage your partner to use DO IT!

When you are ready to do the role play:

  • Please read the description of your partner.
  • Then read the message from your partner.
  • Pretend that you are the mentor.
  • Respond to the message as you would if you were the mentor.
  • Remember to use ask questions to encourage your partner to use DO IT!

bullet  Role Play #1

You are the mentor for Carl. Carl graduated from high school last year. He lives at home with his mother. He doesn’t have a job. He stays at home during the day and watches TV. He has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. He writes this message to you:

protege "I’m getting really bored at home and my mom’s saying that maybe I should go to the workshop. But I really want to get a job in town so I can earn some money. I don’t really know what’s out there. What do you think?"

Pretend you are Carl’s mentor. What would you write back to Carl?


  1. Please enter your "message" in the box below.


    2. Message:

  2. Re-read your message and make changes (as necessary).

  3. Check to see if you remembered to ask questions to encourage Carl to use the DO IT! strategy.
  • Did you ask specific questions to encourage Carl to describe his problem and outline ways to solve this problem? Find the sentences in your message that do this.
  • For example, you could write "Carl, it sounds like a great goal to find something you like to do. Can you tell me some more about the situation? What would you be doing at the workshop? Why does your mom want you to go there? Why do you not want to go? What options are there for work in town? How could you find out? Let me know and we can start to brainstorm a plan of action."
  • Did you remember NOT to tell Carl what to do and solve the problem for him?

continue   If you asked questions to encourage Carl to use the DO IT! strategy, then you are ready to try the next role play. Click here to try another role play.

review  If you had difficulty asking questions to encourage Carl to use the DO IT! strategy, review the lesson again before you do the next role play. Click here to go back and review the lesson again.


Designed and maintained by:

The AAC Mentor Project Team
Penn State University
Last updated October, 2002.
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Helping adolescents and young adults who use AAC overcome challenges and meet their goals at home, at school, at work, and in the community!

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research This research is supported by Grant #H133G8004 from The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and no official endorsement should be inferred.