(Community-based) mentoring idea of the month #1: Bikes! During the pandemic, community-based mentors and mentees (in grades 6 through 12) can be outside and explore the community via bicycle! Youth must wear helmets, and mentors are encouraged to do the same. When returning bikes, please lock the helmets too. Bring your own bike and helmet, [...]
Creating a Culture of Care October is Bullying Prevention Month. We all play a role in establishing a culture of respect and inclusion. One of the first things to do? Educate ourselves about the problem! Please join us via Zoom for this short SafeSchools.com’s 24-minute CYBERBULLYING TRAINING October 21st @ 5pm, via Zoom, link below! [...]
Grand Area Mentoring’s COVID-Safe Plan Welcome to the 2020/2021 academic year! We face unprecedented times. Mentor health and the health of children and families are Grand Area Mentoring’s top priorities. The program’s plan to keep everyone safe includes: Health status requirements Symptom Checks Meeting protocols (for example: wearing masks, community-based mentoring for 6th graders, and [...]
Mentoring in Moab COVID-19 Update COVID-19 has changed our world. Schools are closed. Public gatherings are no-nos. Stress and anxiety levels rise. In-person mentoring has been suspended almost everywhere. This leaves many youth across the country without crucial regular support. At-risk populations living in poverty find themselves particularly unstable at this time. Grand Area Mentoring [...]
Time to Shine In the Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring, Dr. Jean Rhodes writes: “Although COVID-19 appears to spare children from the most serious health problems, marginalized youth are likely to bear the heaviest burdens of trauma & economic fallout.” We mentors have an opportunity to blunt the blow by persevering through the hard times. Mentoring [...]
Shutterbug Shenanigans! Photography Mini-Clinic for Mentors Photography can be a great tool to explore the world and learn to express oneself visually! Learning how to look at photographs and compose an image can be beneficial in a culture flooded with imagery. This mini-clinic will provide ideas for incorporating photography into your mentoring sessions and offer: [...]
Mentoring Tip – Mind Your Stress Mentoring is about service. Why, then, should we focus so much on taking care of ourselves? Shouldn’t all our efforts be focused on helping a youth? Just as caregivers are expected to first don an oxygen mask before offering aid if an airplane loses cabin pressure, mentors need to first [...]
Mentoring Tip – Your Intentional Tone Our body language, quality of voice, and facial expressions reveal a lot about our motivations, emotions, and impressions of others. Negative cues may be especially impactful to youth who have experienced trauma. This is why mentors should develop greater self-awareness of their own posture and communication style. When meeting with [...]
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention 101 w/ Seekhaven When: Dec 17th, 4:30-5:30pm Where: HMK Elementary, Room 141 Seekhaven will cover the nuances of violence or sexual trauma, possible impacts on children (either as a primary or secondary victims), and the best practices for first responders. Whether you work with mentees or more broadly [...]
Mentor Roundtable! November 6, 5-6pm, Grand Co Public Library Large Meeting Room You’re not alone. Join us to talk about the mentoring experience, discuss your hurdles & successes, learn from others about how they have handled tough situations, and reflect with staff on best practices. This is an opportunity to talk about mentoring with people who [...]