Snowboarding Mentors Needed - SOS OUTREACH

Save to Favorites

Adult Mentor, SOS Sherpa, Description

SOS Outreach offers a value-based leadership curriculum that enhances the experience for students by promoting self-respect, positive relationships, social justice, and positive values. Students discuss and discover the meaning of our 5 core values; courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, and compassion. SOS partners with youth agencies and mountain resorts in the winter and spring to provide multi-day snow sports programs that incorporate these SOS core values.

SOS Sherpas, adult mentors, encourage the students to uncover the way these values affect their everyday actions.

Sessions typically takes place over the course of five 8-hour, consecutive weekend days and consists of roughly forty hours of work per session. Sherpa time commitment includes training dates, on-hill sessions, community service events, life skills workshops, weekly Sherpa meetings, and weekly calls to youth and their families.

Sherpa Responsibilities
Sherpa responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Prior to Ride and Service Days
Commit to serving as a Sherpa for at least one year
Submit fingerprints and information to pass federal and state criminal background checks
Attend all Sherpa training sessions, including general, database, and on-hill training

During Ride and Service Days
Attend and participate in all University events, including five ride days, community service learning dates, and life skills workshops
Engage the students: ask how they are doing, exhibit mentoring qualities, and foster group cohesion
Teach and model the five SOS core values and the Mountain Safety Code
Understand and teach students the SOS rules
Understand and follow the SOS Guidelines for Serving Youth
Help youth develop goals and monitor their progress
Administer Student of the Week and Student of the Month Program
Monitor skiing or snowboarding progress
Ensure students have appropriate equipment
Track student attendance at every event
Shoot photos and video of each activity

Outside of Ride and Service Days
Attend and participate in monthly Sherpa meetings
Maintain regular contact with each participant and their family, calling each student to check in at least once a week
Maintain strong communications with Regional Program Director, Malee Lucas
Monitor attendance and progress of each student
Input attendance and progress in the SOS online database
Post photos and videos on the SOS website
Prepare for and facilitate a portion of the end-of-season graduation

Helpful Skills and Interests

Experience, comfort, and passion in working with underprivileged youth and low-income families
Awareness of factors impacting the lives of urban youth
Willingness to learn about privilege, racism, and oppression and how these social constructs impact students and staff
Experience with snowboarding and teaching snowboarding
Experience in a leadership position
Interest in mentoring youth