Infomation for Parents - Become a Mentor

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring provides young people with an opportunity to experience cultural, academic, and recreational opportunities that may not be readily available to them otherwise. The focus is to build a strong, trusting relationship between an adult and a young person. The mentor is a volunteer who acts as a positive role model, confidant, friend, teacher, advocate, supporter, coach, and cheerleader to a young person. The mentee is a child or teen from an economically disadvantaged background that is paired with a mentor and is an active participant in the relationship.

What is The Mentor Program at Trail Blazers?
The Mentor Program at Trail Blazers continues the organization's tradition of providing positive, life-enriching experiences to inner-city youth. Trail Blazers pairs young people in our program with adult volunteers from the New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas in a committed, one-on-one relationship. Mentors and mentees see each other twice a month, for approximately four hours each time, and speak on the phone weekly. Each pair makes a minimum one-year commitment to each other and to the Mentor Program.

History of the Mentor Program
In 1993, the Mentor Program began as a group mentoring experience with four volunteers acting as mentors to our Leadership Training Program participants. As the program developed, it was found that the true connections and benefits lie in the one-on-one connection. Aided by the national movement towards mentoring, Trail Blazers expanded its program to a one-on-one mentoring program offered to all of the children who participate in Trail Blazers' Summer Experiential Education Program.

Does Mentoring Work?
Children and teens living in the inner city are exposed to the hazards of urban poverty such as violence, substandard housing, sexual exploitation, and drug or alcohol abuse. They learn in overcrowded, under-funded schools. The vast majority are raised in single parent homes and live at or below the Federal Poverty Line.

An impact study performed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Public/Private Ventures (re-issued in September 2000), states that youth who participate in mentoring programs are less likely to start using drugs and alcohol, are less likely to use physical responses to solve problems, have an improved school attendance and academic record, and have improved family relationships after 18 months in the program.

Who are our Mentors? Trail Blazers' mentors come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, and hold a variety of interests. They work in many different fields including medicine, finance, the arts, education, television, sales, and business. Remembering the difficulties of growing up, mentors come to our Mentor Program wanting to make the road easier for a child or teen. Before being accepted to the program, all mentors go through a thorough screening process including a personal interview, reference checks, and a criminal background check. Once accepted, the mentors must go through a four-hour training workshop before they can be matched with a child. During the workshop, the volunteers have an opportunity to role-play situations that might arise with their mentees and to become further acquainted with the Mentor Program.

What Happens After a Match is Made?

Activities
Each mentor and mentee pair chooses when and where they meet and what activity they do. Pairs participate in a variety of activities. To experience different cultures, the pair might visit the Museum of African Art, attend a play, or tour one of New York City's historic neighborhoods. Many matches work together on the mentee's homework or read a book together and then discuss it. While cultural and educational activities are fun, many matches enjoy doing purely recreational activities such as going to a baseball or basketball game, going horseback riding, or going to the movies.

In addition to matches' bi-weekly meetings, the Mentor Program holds Mentor/Mentee Days three times a year. This is a time for matches to spend time together, meet other matches, and gives the mentees time to reunite with friends from the summer. During late fall, matches journey to our New Jersey site to participate in trust building activities on our Challenge Course. Every spring, matches gather in Central Park for an afternoon of food, fun, and games. Also during the spring, matches work together to perform community service in New York City by serving meals in a soup kitchen, delivering food to the elderly, or another worthwhile project.

Mentor Support
Trail Blazers' Mentor Program Coordinator works with each mentor match to ensure a healthy mentor/mentee relationship. The coordinator stays in consistent contact with the mentor throughout the life of the match and conducts semi-yearly evaluations of the match by the mentor, mentee, and mentee's parent. In addition, Mentor Support Meetings are held quarterly, and provide mentors with a time to speak with one another, help each other problem solve, and reflect on their relationship with their mentee. Quarterly newsletters are sent to all mentors giving activity ideas, providing mentor recognition, and keeping them updated on mentoring news and events. Every spring, mentors and Trail Blazers' staff and friends gather together to recognize the work that each mentor puts in to expanding the horizons of a Trail Blazers young person at a Mentor Recognition Cocktail Party.

TOP

Once your child has been matched, there are things you can do to help make your child's realtionship with his or her mentor a success:

• In order for your child to develop a positive and strong friendship with his/her mentor, it is important that they see each other at least two times each month. Please help your child maintain this commitment. Since many of our mentors and mentees have busy schedules, meetings often have to be planned in advance. Help your child keep a calender of his or her activities so he or she is better able to take responsiblity for the relationship.
• The intended relationship is exclusively between your child and his or her mentor. Please do not include any other children in their special time together. Remember that this is a one-on-one relationship.
• Like any other, this relationship takes time to grow. Try not to judge too quickly!
• Please make sure any changes in routine about picking up and dropping off your child are arranged with your child's mentor in advance.
• Parents in our program agree not to deprive their child of meeting with their mentor as a form of punishment. This may be difficult, but our experience shows that in the long run, the match relationship can be more helpful than direct punishment.
• All match activities must be approved by the parent!
• If you feel your child's mentor could be helpful with something regarding your child, please contact the Mentor Program Coordinator. We find it can be detrimental to the match to discuss these issues directly with your child's mentor. Children sometimes are upset to know that you are discussing him/her with 'their friend'!
• If you have any questions or concerns about your child's mentor or how the match is progressing, please call the Mentor Program Coordinator

TOP

Application Process

Application Form
To begin, Download the Mentor Application Form or Apply Online. Email, fax, or mail your completed application to Sherry Goodman, Mentor Program Coordinator.

Please Note: Due to the number of mentor / mentee matches currently in the program, we are not taking applications for mentors at this time. The program while still running is at capacity for the staff we have to run it. Please check back in a few months if you are still interested in our Program, the National Mentoring Partnership will be able to help you find other mentoring programs in your area.

Screening
Before being accepted to the program, prospective mentors need to submit three references (one personal, one professional, and a third of your choice), go through an in-depth, personal interview, and a criminal background check.

Post Acceptance
Once accepted, the mentors must go through a four-hour training workshop before they can be matched with a child. The workshop covers the role of a mentor, typical mentor/mentee challenges, child development, communicating with children and teens, activity planning, and a chance to role play common mentoring situations.

Match Process
When matching mentors and mentees, Trail Blazers' staff take into consideration geography, interests, the child's career goals, and personality.

Once a match is made, the child, parent, and mentor are invited to Trail Blazers' office for a meeting with Trail Blazers' staff. Here, the new match is introduced to each other, discuss program expectations, and sign a contract, making a year commitment to the program and to each other.

Post Match
After a match is made, mentor and mentee meet twice a month over the year to do a wide variety of cultural, educational, and recreational activities. Trail Blazers' staff is in regular contact with both mentor and mentee to help problem solve or to come up with new and exciting activities.

TOP