Mentoring Idea of the Month #1: Reduce and understand the stress in your life! Stress affects us all. Some stress is good; it helps us strive and find fulfillment. However, too much stress can be draining and unhealthy. Stress management expert David Lewis offers ten tips for finding a healthy way to manage our emotions [...]
New Book Club for Mentors MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership, has released its brand new guide for mentors: Becoming a Better Mentor. This excellent book goes through the elements of improving your mentoring relationship. It’s available free here: www.mentoring.org/resource/becoming-a-better-mentor/ You are invited to join Grand Area Mentoring in reading four select chapters through May, one [...]
Mentor Roundtable Discussion with GIFTS & FOOD! January 12th, 5-6pm, Hopkin Middle School Mentors, come on down to the Hop (middle school behind City Market) to celebrate National Mentoring Month with mentors and program staff! For just showing up, you’ll get: A $10 gift card to City Market! A generous spread of food, including cookies, [...]
Advanced Mentor Training: TRAUMA-INFORMED MENTORING (Part 2) w/ Kelly Vagts December 9th, ,5-6pm, via Zoom A Trauma Lens: Helping mentors implement a trauma-informed approach with mentees and families. Part one guided mentors in developing a trauma lens so that we don't take a child's behavior personally, to help us look past the behavior. Part two [...]
The Importance of Prevention Although the costs of youth dysfunction are difficult to measure, one need only consider the many effects of misbehavior and anti-social attitudes to get an idea of their long-term repercussions. Impacts of disordered youth behavior include: Loss of productive, happy citizens Medical costs to individuals and the government because of injuries Costs [...]
Start with the Heart This school year, a letter from Superintendent Taryn Kay to Grand County School District included the following: “Our district wide goals this year highlight academics, social and emotional learning, and improved communication. While improving student achievement is an important part of our mission, we know it is essential to focus on [...]
Mentor Training: How to Create an Incentive Program for your Mentee (plus pizza dinner, RSVP appreciated) When: October 7th, 5-6pm Where: HMK Elementary School Rm 141 Who: Mentors and school/youth program staff RSVP: grandareamentoring@gmail.com Please join us to learn about this enhancement for solidly established mentoring relationships. Incentive programs can provide the motivation for students [...]
Safety for All Because the coronavirus pandemic continues to infect and sicken many, especially via the delta variant, Grand Area Mentoring suggests all volunteers wear masks while mentoring indoors in Grand County. If a classroom-level mask requirement or a broader mask mandate is in place where your mentee attends school, masks are obligatory for indoor [...]
Summertime Opportunities Stay connected over the summer. Plan ahead to meet occasionally, talk on the phone, Zoom, or send mail. Community-based matches have approved sites available to them. We invite school-based matches to meet at HMK during summer lunch. Please complete a log entry after each meeting – https://grandmentoring.org/mentor-log/ June 9th, 6pm: YGP Weed n Feed [...]
Summertime Prep The 2020/2021 academic season will come to a close on June 11th, when GCSD celebrates graduation at the high school. School-based mentoring will wrap up one week prior, on June 4th. This doesn’t mean that mentoring has to stop! Stay open to the possibility of supporting your mentee in the summer of 2021. [...]