Getting started
Great! So you have decided that your community would benefit greatly from a mentoring program, and you feel that you and/or your organization are in a position to build a mentoring program from the ground up. Now what do you do?
First, realize that there are a number of resources, on both a state and federal level, which provide support and information for mentors and mentoring groups. In addition to the information this site provides, other helpful links are the IdeaList website which lists over 16,000 volunteer organizations and numerous books, organizations and services that may prove useful to your volunteers, and the National Mentoring Partnership. Other good resources are the Corporation for National Service, AmeriCorps, America's Promise, the Points of Light Foundation and the Virtual Volunteering Project. See also the Mentoring in Schools information for help in establishing your program.
You may not be aware of mentoring programs which may already be serving your community, such as local churches and civic groups as well as many businesses and corporations. The National Mentoring Partnership allows people to search for volunteer organizations throughout the state which provide ample opportunities to serve and volunteer."
If you would like to start your own mentoring program, however, utilize whatever resources are available and do not hesitate to contact existing programs to get pointers and see what has or has not been successful in running those programs. When you're ready to begin your work, remember that planning and goal setting is crucial to a successful assimilation into the community.
Hopefully the following will help you on your path to helping others:
1. Assessment
First,
you should assess the need for mentors in the community and determine
what resources are available to help get your program off of the
ground. In addition to evaluating your plans for finding volunteer
mentors, you should consider how you plan to train the mentors, to
sponsor the mentors, and to provide a space for meeting and
coordination. You should also assess how you are going to perform
background checks on the mentors, and what kind of marketing plans you
will want to implement in order to provide a means to reach the persons
in need and to advertise your services in the community.
2. Setting Goals and Objectives
A
successful mentor program must have well-defined goals and objectives.
A simple but focused mission statement is helpful in defining the scope
and boundaries of a particular program. Once the mission is realized by
the team, you can move forward with the confidence that everyone on
board is pursuing a common goal. Program leaders may at this time
choose to set minimum time commitment goals for the mentors (monthly
and/or weekly), and may want to establisth a timeline for the
implementation of the program.
3. Recruiting Mentors and Mentees
What
types of individuals do you want to recruit and where are you going to
get them from? Mentors can be recruited from a school's volunteer
office, church youth groups, corporations' and companies' public
relations directors, local college groups, community organizations
sponsoring volunteer work, senior citizens groups/AARP, and
military/National Guard units. Remember, good mentors are those who
express a genuine desire to be a mentor, who are willing to make a
significant, regular time commitment, are well respected in their
community or place of business, and are experienced in volunteering.
Conversely, when looking for mentees, seek out school guidance counselors, or community day care or recreation centers. Groups may want to "adopt" a particular school or organization to provide mentoring services. The adoption path may be the easiest for beginning mentor groups, because many of the logistical, travel and space problems inherent in budding programs may be easily solved in such an environment.
4. Selecting Mentors and Mentees
Recruiting
mentors is just one step in establishing your network. A thorough and
effective screening process is very important to the success of the
program and for assuring the safety and comfort of all involved.
Eligibility screening for potential mentors should include an
application process and review, face-to-face interviews, reference
checks, and a criminal background check (How to perform a background check).
Volunteers may be asked why they want to be a mentor, what types of
experience they have, why they want to work with children, how much
time they can devote, what expectations they have, and what type of
help they would like to provide the child. If the screening board is
not satisfied with the volunteer for any reason, the volunteer should
not be selected as a mentor.
5. Training Mentors
A
mentor should be trained prior to his or her matching with a mentee.
Training sessions should be used to clarify the goals of the program.
Training should also include boundaries for the mentors (i.e., how much
help should be given with schoolwork, gifts, etc.). Mentors should also
be made aware of the kinds of activities that are popular with the age
group(s) that they will be mentoring. It is also helpful to provide
communications training so that the mentor may effectively communicate
with both the mentee and the mentee's parents. Finally, mentors should
be given awareness training, designed to make the mentor aware of any
problems (emotional, physical or otherwise) their mentee may have. This
training should include steps that the mentor should take if he
suspects that his mentee has been the victim of a crime, neglect or
abuse, or if he suspects that his mentee has committed a crime.
6. Pairing or Matching
Program
leaders should do their best to successfully pair mentors to mentees.
One approach to meet this end would be to develop surveys that explore
shared interests and hobbies. Leaders may also use their knowledge and
judgment in matching two individuals. Leaders should not be hesitant to
reassign both parties in the event that a "bad" match occurs.
7. Keep It Strong!!!
In
order to minimize burnouts and dropout, follow-up with your mentors
regularly. Start a weekly e-mail or have occasional mailouts. If
possible, hold a seasonal or school kick-off pizza party to get all of
the mentors and mentees together. Use the party to your advantage and
hold a short meeting with your mentors. Finally, don't forget to
publicize the achievements of your group. Everyone likes to hear
success stories.
8. Evaluate
At this point, you may be
so excited about your successes that evaluation will be the last thing
on your mind. It is important, however, to get feedback whenever
possible from participants as well as third parties. In order to stay
on top of your group's growing and evolving needs, you should
continually be made aware of what is and is not working.
9. Have Fun
Starting
a mentoring program can be one of the most enjoyable, rewarding
endeavors you have ever been a part of. Have fun, and stay focused on
the mission!!!
