WHY WAS THE MENTORING PROGRAM CREATED?
● Reach & Rise group mentoring program was established to serve the needs of young people not being met by existing mental health services.
● To offer over-stressed families a resource to help meet their children's needs.
● To provide youth with positive, growth-inducing relationships with adults through mentoring.
● To make a difference in a child’s life.
● To introduce you to positive adult role models, and facilitate healthy peer relationships
WHAT TYPE OF YOUTH DOES THE GROUP MENTORING PROGRAM SERVE?
● Youth ages 8-15.
● Youth who could benefit from help with improving self-esteem, decision making, academic success, social skills, building and maintaining healthy peer and family relationships, and feeling a sense of belonging.
● Youth from a wide range of ethnic diversity and socio-economic backgrounds.
● Youth encompassing a variety of family backgrounds: intact families, single-parents, blended families, foster homes, and/or grandparent or other relative-headed families.
HOW ARE YOUTH REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM?
● From YMCA programs, staff, and communities.
● From school counselors, teachers and principals.
● From community programs, social services, counseling agencies, etc.
● From friends, family, and/or self-referrals.
● All referrals to Reach & Rise go through an application process and an initial telephone and/or face-to-face screening with the Program Director. This process helps determine whether or not each child is appropriate for the program. Those children assessed to have mental health problems not appropriate for our program will be referred elsewhere. The types of issues not likely to be handled by our mentors include: acute depression, homicidal or suicidal behavior, drug/alcohol dependence, and violent behavior.
WHO ARE THE MENTORS?
● Volunteers who wish to make a positive impact on youth.
● Adults ages 21+
● Adults from varied cultural, educational and professional backgrounds.
● Mentors are often recruited within the YMCA membership, community agencies, local corporations, and universities.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF MENTORS?
● Complete a volunteer mentor application and necessary paperwork.
● Speak with the Program Director for an initial screening.
● Mentors commit to spending 2 hours once a week co-facilitating mentor group for an 6-8 or 14-16 week mentoring group.
● Complete 15+ hours of mentor training (over the course of 4 to 5 weeks) before being matched with a mentee group.
● Pass background/fingerprint security screening and 4 reference checks before being matched.
HOW ARE MENTORS SUPPORTED ONCE THEY’VE COMPLETED THE TRAINING AND HAVE BEEN “MATCHED” WITH A YOUTH?
● Reach & Rise® is committed to on-going training and support for all volunteer mentors. The Program Director is actively involved in goal-setting and on-going planning with all mentors for their mentees.
● Mentors will need to meet weekly with the Program Director in person or by phone to review of progress of mentoring group and plan for next week’s meeting. Check-ins are a vital part of the program because they provide structure for the mentors as well as on-going training and development of mentoring skills.
● Mentors are expected to submit a weekly attendance sheet and contact record to Program Directors.
● Individual telephone support is provided on an as needed basis.
