Yahoo! National Mentoring Month Is Here! Moab’s mentors help youngsters excel every week. Over the course of this month, we celebrate all you achieve, and we aim to expand opportunities for excellent mentoring in 2017. Don’t miss out on the important events coming right up!
This Month in Mentoring! December 7, 4:30-5:30, HMK Room #141: Help for the Helper. Counselor Christina Myers will help us remember that self-care is not a luxury in the service we offer. Indeed, it should be a priority. Please be sure to join us for this important training! December 8, 3:30-4:30, High School Career & Technical Education Building Room #100: Suicide Prevention Training. This class – offered to teachers, staff, and mentors – will cover the common causes of suicidal ideation in youth, warning signs, and what to do if you think a student could be suicidal. It will benefit mentors and anyone who works with youth. Please RSVP: grandareamentoring@gmail.com December 17-January 1: Winter Break. No school. No mentoring. January 2017: National Mentoring Month! Let’s celebrate mentoring! Stay tuned for more.
Books for Mentees Is Back! Grand Area Mentoring is pleased to announce that the Mountains and Plain Independent Booksellers Association and Moab’s own Back of Beyond Books have sponsored the Books for Mentees program in 2016/2017! It is designed to spread the love of reading and the benefits of literacy to our community’s promising youngsters by providing free books. For many of our mentees, this will be a rare opportunity to choose a book at their reading level and in their area of interest – whether that’s middle-grade, graphic novels, young adult, picture books, or nonfiction. Back of Beyond has a wide selection of titles for all ages and appetites. 1) To participate in the Books for Mentees program, mentors claim a book voucher at the Grand Area Mentoring office. 2) Once issued by Dan or Megan, these vouchers are good for book(s) at Back of Beyond, valued up to $18. Then mentors and students can plan an off-campus outing to the bookstore with another match. Tell Megan when your plan is complete. Call or text her at: 435-260-9645. 3) During your off-campus outing, carefully venture down to Back of Beyond and browse their awesome selection. Don’t forget to bring the voucher, which must be turned in for redemption. Help your mentee look at the various sections of the store. Explain the difference between fiction and non-fiction. Ask about her favorite things to read. Help her spend the $18 wisely. Whatever books you help your mentee choose will be his to take home, to own – no catches, no obligations. He can read and re-read it and put it on a shelf as a reminder of the fun to be had in the world of books. Let’s help our kids have fun with books! The cooler months will be a perfect time to do something new and spread the gift of literacy. Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity! Plan today.
The Importance of One Psychologists have long understood a child’s emotional and economic prospects dramatically improve if there is one thing present in his life: a positive connection with an adult.
Idea of the month #1: Photo Contest! In 2017, for the first time, WabiSabi will create a nonprofit calendar featuring its partners. Calendars will be available to businesses and citizens throughout the community. Each month will include a big photo and some information about a particular nonprofit. Grand Area Mentoring has signed up for January 2017, National Mentoring Month! This means we get to supply a photo that captures the spirit of mentoring. This is your chance for fame! Your challenge: Take a photo of yourself and your mentee (or a group of mentors and mentees) and submit it to the GrandAM office: grandareamentoring@gmail.com. A winning photo will be sent on to be featured the first month of 2017! Silly, fun, and playful photos welcome! Be creative! Win eternal glory! 🙂 Deadline for submission: 10/28
Asking the Right Questions The start of the school year is a great time to get to know your mentee better and deepen your relationship. Ask about his/her summer. Chat about what he/she hopes to accomplish this year. As you play and talk and work on projects, pay particular attention to your mentee’s strengths and successes. After you have re-established closeness and a strong rapport, you can ask solution-focused questions. This approach helps your mentee engage his/her resiliency when challenges arise later in the year. To use this technique effectively, it’s best to already know about the traits and experiences your mentee owns. The Method Solution-focused questions target a better future. Your questions will focus on what life will be like when your mentee has overcome or limited his/her problem, especially using the strengths and knowledge that he or she already has. Some examples of good solution-focused questions include...
How to Help Your Mentee Through the Summer June, July, and August represent a wonderful opportunity to recharge your batteries and break away from the weekly mentoring routine. Volunteers and students often return in September with new verve and closeness. As the old adage suggests: absence makes the heart grow fonder. However, some students don’t look forward to school’s close. Students who need additional support might
Helping Children Through Tough Times Utah ranks highest in the nation in antidepressant use. According to the Utah state website, “From 2012 to 2014, Utah's age-adjusted suicide rate was 20.8 per 100,000 persons. This is an average of 557 suicides per year. Utah has one of the highest age-adjusted suicide rates in the U.S.” In fact, suicide is the leading cause of death for individuals aged 10 through 24 in Utah. It’s more common than auto accident deaths. Every day 4 people aged 10 to 24 are treated for suicide attempts in Utah. 60-85% of Grand County students in grades 8, 10, and 12 report moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms. Some prevalent risk factors in Grand County make depression and anxiety more likely. Common circumstances that exacerbate depression and anxiety include...
Training Invitation – Ethics in Mentoring: 5 Principles to Help Mentors Build Meaningful Relationships Ethical guidelines provide a useful framework for mentors who may occasionally face challenges and questions based on issues such as safety, boundaries, responsibility, and diversity. This training will introduce mentors to the ethical underpinnings of a positive mentoring relationship by discussing: the definition of ethics, why it is important in the context of mentoring, five key principles, and a...
A Link Between Tourism & Mentoring The American outdoor industry is booming, and Moab’s need for youth mentors continues to grow as the region attracts greater numbers of tourists to its natural wonders. Additional visitors apply high demand to the service sector – particularly in the dining, recreation, and hospitality industries. Consequently, seasonal and low-wage workers move to the area. Many parents take on two or three jobs, which may leave children without guidance after school. 95% of mentees qualify for free or reduced lunch. According to CliffsNotes, “Poor families experience much more stress than middle‐class families. Besides financial uncertainty, these families are more likely to be exposed to negative events and ‘bad luck,’ including illness, depression, eviction, job loss, criminal victimization, and family death.” Children of parents with limited post-secondary education may be less likely to pursue advanced education. Students recommended for mentoring often struggle academically and with attendance and social skills. Never before has Grand Area Mentoring received so many mentee referrals from teachers, parents, and counselors. In response to the deluge in 2015/2016, Grand Area Mentoring has supported a record 85 matches to date. Communities of similar size often have difficulty recruiting even half this number of mentors. Combining Moab’s generous citizens with children who most need guidance produces excellent results. Grand Area Mentoring consistently surpasses goals set by...