They day to day procedures that are established for the mentoring program will greatly affect your program quality and sustainability. The overarching theme is to strive for consistency, compatibility, support and accountability. It will be important that all participants of the mentoring program know what is expect from the program in regard of training and support. Open
communication, trust and honesty between School Counselors, mentors, and mentees are key.
Develop a mentor position description
Defining the qualifications and attributes that mentors should have to successfully engage a mentee a build an effective relationship is important. School Counselors can create a position description that includes:
1. Position Title
2. List of qualifications and required attributes (caring, good listener, stable, can provide leadership, reliable, committed, nonjudgmental, patient, like children.
Tolerant, has a good sense of humor.)
3. Clear description of the functions the mentor will perform 4. Specific time commitments required and duration of the match 5. Location of the mentor/mentee meetings
Recruitment methods
Mentors and mentees need to be found in order for the program to work and flourish.
The recruitment can take place though a variety of different methods. Meetings or information sessions can provide information about the program and an opportunity to sign up as either a mentor or mentee. The mentors and mentees can be recruited through advertisement on the
HOW TO DESIGN AND PLAN A SCHOOL-SITE MENTORING PROGRAM 5
radio, television, school newspapers, and magazines. Another way to recruit is to put up fliers and posters in locations with the targeted populations. Creating a bulletin board, which can be
displayed at schools, libraries, community centers, colleges, or businesses, will help.
Mentor recruitment
The mentors determine the success for a the mentoring program. To find successful mentors, their qualifications must be determined and then the mentors recruited. A minimum of two years should separate the mentor and mentee in order to allow for appropriate boundaries to be maintained. Mentors should be people who are kind and caring, have a desire to help others, are positive role models, will be able to meet the time commitments, are trustworthy, and have a special hobbies or interests.
Mentee recruitment
If school counselors are building a mentoring program to serve a specific youth
populations, such as school-based mentoring program for students seeking academic or career guidance, it is easy to know where the potential participants are. As mentees are recruitment, it is important to remember that the youth decide voluntarily to participate in the program. If the child does not want to be in the program it will not be beneficial to he/she. Also requesting the help of teachers and other school personnel to pin point appropriate mentees as well as mentors for the program that fit the criteria set is another great way to recruit.
Screening potential Mentors
1. Screen potential mentors and mentees. Careful screening processes improve the quality of the mentors and helps ensure the safety of youth involved in the program. The screening process has three primary purposes
o To screen for people who have positive characteristics School Counselors are looking for in a mentor
o To screen out people who have the potential to harm youth or the program o To ensure that youth participants will benefit from the program.
2. Suggested components of volunteer screening.
o Require written applications. The first step in the process of screening is to require all prospective mentors to complete a written application that
includes name, age, address, phone numbers, birthdates, grade level (if applicable, ethnicity, personal reference contact information, etc. The application should also include a release statement that authorizes a background check.
o Conduct reference checks. Best practice is to receive three personal references from prospective references that will be contacted. Reference should include people that are 18 years or older, have known the applicant for at least a year, and has seen he/she work with children
o Criminal background check. Depending on the type of mentoring
program that is being implemented and the target mentors criminal background checks should be used. For School-Site mentoring that has high schools
HOW TO RECRUIT AND SCREEN FOR A SCHOOL-SITE MENTORING
PROGRAM 6
SECTION III
students mentoring younger students, background checks cannot be completed because they are not 18 years old. References must be relied upon with these applicants.
o Conduct face to face interview. Review and discuss the mentor position description with candidates to ensure that they understand the program
expectations. Ask questions during an in person interview that cover work, education, family relationships, current relationships, friends, leisure time activities, drug & alcohol use, mental health issues, home assessment, experience with children, match relationships, match preferences, and
volunteer preferences. It is important to give the applicant the opportunity to ask questions and provide honest answers.
Interviewing Mentees
After the youth are selected to participate or receive a referral from a parent or caregiver, the next step is to provide an orientation to both the youth and the parent/guardian to determine if the program is appropriate to their needs as well. If it meets their expectations the next step is to complete an interview with both the parent and child. It should be used to assess the youth’s attitude and interest in the program and to help make appropriate matches. The parent interview should consist of questions about how their child likes to spend their time, activity level,
relationships with family members and/or absent parents, various concerns about the child, family situations (counseling, incarcerations, abuse), family environment, school performance and
behavior, particular needs of the child, major changes occurring, concerns/preferences regarding a volunteer, and finally goals for the child. The youth interview should consist of questions involving
activities they are interested in, what they are good at, if they want a mentor, what they would like a mentor to help with, what kind of mentor would they like, what activities they would like to do, how people would describe them, what they think of school, teachers, and other students, along with safety questions involving what would you do if a stranger came up to you? What would you do if someone tried to or did touch you in a way that you don’t like and makes you feel
uncomfortable? Have you ever been hurt by a grown up before.
Mentor training
The investment that School Counselors make in the initial makings of the program by doing ongoing training of mentors contributes to the success of the program in many ways.
Trainings should be geared towards helping mentors achieve:
1. Becoming more skills at developing caring mentoring relationships
2. Learn about the challenge and barriers the mentees face and how to become more sensitive to those challenges.
3. Gain confidence in their ability to make a different in the lives of their mentees.
Studies have shown that mentors are more successful if they receive training before they are matched with young people and receive coaching and support throughout their continued
involvement with the mentee. During the initial trainings it is important to make sure that these 4 major tasks of mentoring are covered.
1. Establishing a positive personal relationship 2. Helping young people develop life skills
HOW TO RECRUIT AND SCREEN FOR A SCHOOL-SITE MENTORING
PROGRAM 7
3. Assisting in case management
4. Increasing awareness of and ability to interact with other social and cultural groups.
Additional topics for ongoing mentor training that are best done every quarter to provide mentors with ongoing training and support are clarifying values, solving problems, understanding youth, learning leadership skills, and understanding emotional problems.