For
Prospective Mentors
The
role of a mentor
- WHAT
A MENTOR IS:
- A
mentor is a caring, responsible person who is interested in
giving time to a student, encouraging the child to develop
his/her strengths and capabilities. The mentor is described
as:
- A
role model
- A
friend
- A
guide
- A
listener
- A
motivator
- An
advocate
-
All of the following are important activities that mentors
provide in the lives of their students:
- ACADEMIC
SUPPORT
Encouraging academic success by showing the benefits
of staying in school and evaluating educational
choices.
- ROLE
MODELING
Helping students see and strive for broader horizons
and possibilities than they may see in their
present environments.
- ATTENTION
AND SUPPORT
Mentors provide dependable and consistent attention and
support through listening, guiding, and encouraging students
to reach their full potential.
- WHAT
A MENTOR IS NOT:
- There
are certain roles that mentors should not take on as they
work with students. These roles include:
- Parent
- Counselor
- Social
Worker
- ATM
Machine
- Savior
- It
is important to note, however, that a mentor will be
expected to
possess some of the traits found in these roles, including nurturing, support,
care, listening, compassion, and advising. When a mentor
feels
that he/she is being put in a compromising position to take
on an inappropriate role, support is provided by the school-based coordinator
and
the
MentorWorks
office.
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Benefits of mentoring
- Recent
studies have described benefits adults gain through participating
in mentoring relationships.
- Enhanced
self-images. Mentors saw themselves as being competent, helpful,
visionary and loved.
- Feelings
of accomplishment and the creation of networks of other volunteers.
-
Fulfilling expression of the mentor ’s spiritual values.
- Improved
health and self-esteem.
- Insight
into one’s own childhood or children.
-
Public recognition
-
Businesses reported an enhanced company image, and an improvement
in attitude, collaboration, and work satisfaction
- afer, more connected communities
Source: The
National Mentoring Partnership
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Impact
of mentoring
- National studies show that mentoring works. Quality mentoring programs
have been shown to impact students socially, emotionally, academically,
thus creating safer, healthier, more productive citizens of our society.
Some of the many benefits youth derive from mentoring include:
- Improving
self-esteem;
- Keeping
young people in school;
- Helping
improve academic skills;
- Leading
young people to resources they might not find on their own;
- Providing
support for new behaviors, attitudes and ambitions;
- Increasing
young people's ability to seek and keep jobs
Source: How Mentoring Helps
- Studies
have found that students who regularly met with mentors for about
a year were:
- 46%
less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs;
- 27%
less likely to start drinking;
- 52%
less likely to skip a day of school;
- more
trusting of their parents or guardians;
- less
likely to lie to their parents or guardians; and
- felt
more supported and less criticized by their peers and friends
Source:
Public/Private Ventures Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The Selection Process
Fairfax County Public Schools is pleased that you are interested
in becoming a mentor! You are taking the first step to making a difference
in the life of a deserving child or adolescent. To get started,
you will
need to complete the following steps:
The Application Process:
1. Attend a Mentoring
training session.
2. Complete a mentor application form and screening process that includes:
a. An application, including a questionnaire about your interests
that will help facilitate the matching process
b. References – personal and/or professional
c. Clearance through the Virginia Sex Offender Registry
d. Fingerprint and background check through Human Resources
The Matching Process:
1. Once your application has been received and approved, the MentorWorks
specialist will match you with a school-based on the following information:
a. Your location preference
b. Your grade level preference
c. Your availability
d. Whether the school is open to receiving mentors from the
community
2. The MentorWorks specialist will submit your name, application,
and a brief overview of your profile to potential schools.
3. Schools will have 10 business days to respond.
4. If there is a match, the school will contact you directly
to set up a time to meet and orient you to the program.
5. If there is not a current school that matches your preferences/needs,
the MentorWorks specialist will keep your name in the database
and will place you when there is a match.
