5. History of TeamMates
The mission of TeamMates is to positively impact the
world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential.
The TeamMates Program began in 1991 with the
vision of University of Nebraska Head Football Coach
Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. The program
began with twenty-two football players who met with
middle school students in the Lincoln Public Schools.
6. History of TeamMates
What did these twenty-two football model to
these twenty-two middle school students?
1. Work hard - Grades
2. Commitment - Attendance
3. Character - Behavior
7. History of TeamMates
21 out of the 22 mentees graduated from high
school
18 out of the 21 mentees pursued a post-
secondary education
1/3 of those mentees eventually became
mentors
8. TeamMates Now
Now, we have over 7,000 matches
Over 90% of our mentors are community
volunteers
1/3 of our mentees each year pursue a post-
secondary education
15 post-secondary institutions in Nebraska
and Iowa have indicated that their students
would like to mentor youth
9. History of TeamMates
We utilize less than 1% of college mentors in
Nebraska AND Iowa so the question is……
How do we tap into your
pool of college students?
12. Benefits of college mentors
Research has shown that HOPE,
ENGAGEMENT, and WELLBEING are
positioned as actionable targets and
indicators of success, with links to grades,
achievement scores, retention, and future
employment.
13. Benefits of college mentors
College mentors provide youth with….
College students are close enough in age to youth they
mentor to establish strong and positive friendships.
College students are able to equip their mentee with the
skills and knowledge necessary to attend college.
Through mentoring, youth can see college as a “real life”
learning experience.
College students are fun!
Support Positive
Influence
Motivation Confidence
Friendshi
p
Encouragement Hope Engagement
15. Identifying the right college mentors
-Tutoring and mentoring
youth are the most common
volunteer activities among
college student volunteers
-44.1% of college students
engage in regular
volunteering
-Since 2001, the overall
percent of college students
who volunteer has increased
from 27.1% to 30.2%,
exceeding the volunteer rate
for the general adult
population of 28.8%.
Mock Mentor Scenarios
16. Identifying the right college mentors
Amy Brad
o First-
semester
Freshman
o English
major
o Sorority
o 17 credit
hours
o 3.8 GPA
o Second-
semester
Freshman
o Engineerin
g major
o First-
generation
o Received
an MIP in
the fall
Carly
o First-
semester
Sophomore
o Education
major
o Honors
student
o Has a
boyfriend
Doug
o Second-
semester
Sophomore
o Football
player
(starter)
o 2.1 GPA
o Texas native
17. Identifying the right college mentors
1. Amy, Brad, Carly, and Doug
i. Pros and cons
ii. Key attributes
iii. Support needed
19. Recruitment
• Know your numbers
• Be strategic in focusing your recruitment
efforts
• Provide opportunity to complete application
process at recruitment
• Have current college mentors present
20. Training/ongoing training
2 + hours required
Emphasis on:
Commitment of time—hours and years
Communication with program coordinator
Social media/confidentiality policy
Emphasis on boundaries
21. On-campus support/liaison
Who could fill this role?
Role:
on campus recruitment
support of mentors on campus
group meetings and communication
group match activities on campus
networking for transportation etc.
22. Transition
Even before matching, make sure mentee
understands the mentor will be shorter term-
they may have multiple mentors
Planning for transition is critical
Have replacement mentor in the ‘wings’
23. Tap into your pool of college students
University of
Nebraska-Lincoln
University of
Nebraska-Omaha
Peru State College
Chadron State
College
University of Northern
Iowa
Buena Vista
University
? University of
Nebraska-
Kearney
? Hastings College
? York College
? Concordia University
? Creighton University
? Wayne State College
? Grace College
? Bellevue University
