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There are many important
responsibilities for you when you become a volunteer mentor at
Friends for Life. As a volunteer, you agree to fulfill the
following commitments.
1. Spend
a minimum of 1 hour per week for one year with your mentee.
Consistent contact is necessary to establish and maintain a meaningful
relationship.
2. Contact
your Friends for Life Program Manager every week. Counseling Contacts occur every week for the first 3
months and every other week thereafter regarding the progress of your
friendship.
3. Visit
your mentee’s home during the first 3 months.
A parent or guardian or other adult family
member must be present during this and subsequent visits.
Your relationship will get off to a smoother start if you have taken
the time to meet and learn a little more about your Mentee's family.
4.
Have your mentee, along with his/her parent or guardian,
visit your home during the first 3 months.
Your mentee will want to meet your family and learn more about you.
Inviting your mentee and his/her family to your home will help the
mentee get to know you and begin to feel more comfortable with you.
5.
Contact your mentee’s school during the first 3
months. Most of the youth in our program
are having difficulty with school. Many are not performing up to
their potential, or are experiencing behavior problems due to low
self-esteem or lack of strong social skills.
6. Contact your mentee’s referral agent during
the first 3 months. Call the
personnel who referred the child. This person may provide you with
insights into the needs of your mentee.
7.Bring
your mentee to your place of work. Showing
your mentee where you work can expose her/him to new options for
future career planning.
8.
Attend at least 2 Friends for Life group
activities during the first 3 months of the relationship and 2 more
activities in the final 9 months. Meeting other mentors and mentees is beneficial for both you and your
mentee. Most of our children need to develop social skills. This is
a perfect opportunity for them to interact with other children with
your support and guidance.
9.Complete
a Community Service Project with your mentee.
Community Service Projects such as feeding the hungry or cleaning up
the beaches can introduce your mentee to the concept of giving back to
the community and helping others in need.
10.
Attend a Child Abuse Prevention Workshop during the
first 3 months of the relationship and 1 more life skills workshop in
the final 9 months.
Mandatory Child Abuse Prevention Workshops are offered
quarterly. Other life skills workshops covering such topics as gangs
and violence prevention are offered periodically.
11.
Attend at least 1 Mentor Support Group Meeting. Meeting with other
mentors to share problems and generate ideas is a very valuable
experience for you as a mentor.
12. Allow
your mentee to develop the relationship at her/his own pace.
Young people will need time to develop trust and confidence in you
before s/he will express feelings to you. All relationships develop
gradually
13. Contact
your Program Manager if you have any problems fulfilling your
commitment.
If it becomes necessary to terminate the match, it is crucial that you
cooperate with your counselor on Friends for Life procedures.
Negative effects on the youth can be minimized if the volunteer and
Program Manager handle the termination carefully
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