Mentorship
One of the main projects that the YLA is currently working on is an implementation of a mentorship program between the local high schools, Nederland Middle Senior High School (NMSHS) and Chinook West, as well as the local elementary school Nederland Elementary.
Similar to a Big Brother Big Sister program, this mentorship program aims to connect high school students with elementary school students to provide mentoring for school, beneficial social interactions and relationships.
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The mentor would meet with their assigned mentee(s) on a regular basis to help develop skills that each mentee has expressed they would like support in, such as time management and organization. This would also give each mentee someone to provide support in social and emotional settings, such as questions about friendships or how to prepare for middle school and high school.
In addition to providing a beneficial relationship for both the mentors and the mentees, this program aims to further form a sense of connectivity between the schools, encouraging local enrollment and breaking down stereotypes regarding specific schools.
The initial steps of this program include: creating mentor and mentee criteria; outlining specific plans and timelines for the program; developing a mentorship framework, while future steps will likely include recruiting mentors, training, meetings, monitoring, support, and ultimately closure between the mentors and the mentees.
Think you could be a great mentor?