Who is the ‘Great’ in Your Life?

Mentors come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s a significant family friend, but more often grandparents and great-grandparents, or great-aunts and uncles adopt the role of mentors in a young person’s life. They are the voice of reason, someone to turn to for advice about life, parenting, relationships and family history.

It’s a precious relationship, the link between a young person and their ‘great.’ Despite the stereotype that Generation Y is too self centred to see past their own nose (and their mobile phone!), recent research shows they actually spend more time with their mentors than expected.

A recent survey revealed Gen Ys are more likely to connect daily with their ‘Great’ in comparison to Gen X and Baby Boomers. Almost all Kiwis surveyed (89%) said they had a ‘Great’ in their life, and that keeping in regular contact with them was extremely important to them. 60% of them had been in contact with their ‘Great’ in the past 24 hours.

It’s not all email and Facebook contact either. A real relationship needs real communication – most respondents connected with their ‘Great’ face-to-face (48%) or by talking over the phone (21%).

The research was  commissioned to highlight the benefits of being socially connected, and to encourage people connect with loved ones in their lives. Active participation in relationships is linked to positive mental and physical health across all ages.

There is value in connecting and learning from the Greats for both parties. It’s good for wellbeing but it’s also an opportunity to ensure loved ones feel empowered and supported, and this is particularly important as we get older.

The benefits of connecting were reflected in the survey findings, with Kiwis indicating connecting with their Great provided emotional support and made them feel loved, encouraged and supported.

The survey also revealed a gap between individual and community perspectives on the importance of keeping connected. Almost all New Zealanders (99%) surveyed said it’s important to connect with loved ones as they age, however, over half of respondents (58%) feel the wider community values people less as they age. Fortunately the result were this way around – individuals have the power to change the community perspective through their own actions.

If you’re the great in someone’s life, it’s fine to initiate the contact too! The power of a ‘just because I love you’ phone call can never be underestimated. Connecting doesn’t always mean long chats, sometimes a quick check in is just as valuable.