Become a Mentor Today!

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Presented: by: Anthony Lemons
CED575 Spring 2015
RehabCare Employees

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What is a mentor?
! A MENTOR IS
! …a role model
! …a guide
! …someone to trust
! …supportive
! …encouraging
! …empowering

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Curriculum
! INSPIRE Mentoring focuses on:
! Literacy – reading books together and discussing plot, characters,
etc.
! Social Skills – interacting and developing relationships
! Goal Setting – learning to set goals and monitor progress
! Developing increased interest in academic subjects and hobbies

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Curriculum (cont’d)
! Mentoring can take on many forms, and depends greatly on
the individual needs and personalities of you and your
mentee

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How does UrbanFUTURE select
mentors?
! UrbanFUTRE generally serves students in grades 6-12 who
can benefit from a positive adult role model. Requests for
mentors may come from teachers, parents, administrators or
others capable of identifying children who may lack
confidence or self-esteem, or have other indicators that could
interfere with school success. It is our goal to match all UF
students with a mentor. Many, but not all, matches will begin
in middle school during 8th grade, and mentees may continue
to receive mentoring services through the High School
Career Manager Program.!

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What will I do as a mentor?
! Set S.M.A.R.T goals with my student
! Assist the student with high school applications
! This may require preparations for an interview, an audition,
getting teacher recommendations, etc.
! Reading and comprehension practice in a “book club”
! Communicate with the Team Leader any ideas for how to
make the time meaningful for you and your student

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Manage Expectations
! You are expected to
! …meet with your mentee once a week or reschedule
! …complete a Mentor Communication Log
! …attend the UrbanFUTURE Awards Banquet in May
! You are encouraged to
! …go to Open Houses at the school
! …attend Parent Coffees
! …attend events to support your mentee (robotics competitions,
team sports, UrbanFUTURE events)

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How do I engage with the student?
! Be consistent and reliable
! Maintain high expectations
! Provide opportunities for students to understand alternative
choices
! Be open to discuss what is going on with your mentee
! Be creative!
! Communicate with the Team Leader on any support you may
need

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General Policies
! Please do not give gifts to your student
! Small academic related or edible items are permitted
! Report any information like bullying, suspected child abuse,
etc. to a Team Leader immediately
! If you need to miss a session or reschedule, let your Team
Leader know in advance

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On –going support
! 10 – 15 minute debrief sessions
! 1 hour per week minimum with your mentee
! Mentor Communication Log
! Mentor Training
! Periodic Mentor-Mentee events
! Monthly (at least) check-ins with a Team Leader

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Ultimate Goal
! The ultimate goal is to increase student success and high
school graduation rates by improving the students’ self-
esteem, attitude towards school, attendance and academic
performance. Also, to improve future workforce diversity at
RehabCare by engaging UrbanFUTURE students in the
mission of the company and educating them about the
possibilities that exists to contribute as potential employees.

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How are mentors and students
matched?
! Both the mentor and mentee to assist in the matching process
complete interest Inventories. Pairs are made based on
shared interests, student need and mentor availability during
student 8th grade year.

13. + Mentor Training
! All mentors must attend an initial orientation/training session
that generally lasts for 2-hours. . Once the program is
underway, periodic “support groups" and sometimes High
School Career Manager meetings are held for mentors to
share ideas, plan special events, and address specific issues.
Additionally, workshops on topics of interest to mentors will
be offered on a regular basis. All potential mentors will be
subjected to a background check.

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High School & Beyond
! Your commitment is for just one year during 8th grade but we
encourage mentors to continue with your mentees
throughout high school.

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Parental Involvement
! All parents/guardians are required to give written
permission for their child to participate in the program.You
will not be required to become involved with parents
directly. However, you may attend program kick-off events
and other special events where parents will be present.!

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Does an hour a week really help?
! YES! A study shows that most kids get about fourteen minutes
of interaction from the adults they live with on a daily basis.
Only about a minute and a half of that time is positive
interaction, with the rest being instructions or reprimands.
Needless to say, an hour of undivided attention per week
when possible, makes a huge difference in the life of a child.

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Is it a good fit?
! Our experienced program coordinators will try to work with
you and your mentee to identify any barriers or stumbling
blocks you may encounter. In our many years of experience
only a handful of pairs didn’t click. Of course, if we are
unable to help you feel more comfortable, we will make
every effort to match you with a new student.!

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Is there a fee associated?
! No. Occasionally mentor programs may ask for your help in
covering any costs associated with your background check
but there are no fees associated with being a mentor. And the
rewards you will receive are priceless!!

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Partner: St.Louis Public Schools
! Fanning Middle School
! Busch Middle School of Character
! Carnahan High School of The Future
! Clyde C. Miller Career Academy
! Soldan International Studies
! Gateway S.T.E.M
! Roosevelt High
! Central Visual & Performing Arts

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http://www.ynpnatlanta.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/
bigstock-Mentoring-related-words-concep-25300277.jpg

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Benefits To Mentor
! Build Leadership Skills
! Improve your communication skills
! Learn new perspectives
! Advance your career
! Gain Personal Satisfaction

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Benefits to the Mentee
! Gain valuable advise
! Develop knowledge and skills
! Improve communication skills
! Learn new perspectives
! Build your network
! Advance your education or career

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Take Action!

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Interest Survey
! Thank you for your interest in mentoring an UrbanFUTURE
student.We appreciate learning about you and why you are
interested in becoming a mentor to a young UF student.We
select individuals to mentor whose profiles best match the
current child.While we may not be able to pair you
immediately with a student, we hope you will consider
mentoring future students in need. Please contact us with any
questions, and thank you again for your interest.
! Email: anthony@urbanfuturestl.org
! Please go to the following site to complete the Mentor
Interest Survey: www.urbanfuturestl.org

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Reference
! http://www.penrithfarms.com/mentoring.html?
gclid=COPkpcawwcUCFQoNaQodYpYAVQ

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Reflections
! The purpose of this presentation is to inform my community
partner RehabCare employees about UrbanFUTURE’s
mentoring program. Because I will actually use this, I wanted
to keep it clean and simple. The presentation explains the
logistics of the program and and how one can become
involved.This presentation was challenging for me to
prepare because of the amount of content and time needed . I
will use this at our annual conference this summer in
Louisville, Kentucky. Overall I am happy with the final
product.