What? Build a relationship and meet regularly with a newly arrived refugee youth (age 6-18). Assist with homework, learning English, adapting to the United States, and growing up into a healthy young adult!

When? Meet for at least two hours per session with at least two sessions per month. Since our youth are in school, sessions are typically in the evenings or on weekends.

Where? Most of our mentees live in the neighborhoods of West Ridge, Rogers Park, or Uptown. Mentors typically meet at the mentee’s house, and sometimes take trips for recreational or educational activities.

Requirements:

• Must commit to mentoring for at least one full year, which starts when you are matched with your mentee.
• Must meet with your mentee at least twice a month for at least four hours per month and communicate all mentoring activities with Heartland staff.
• Must complete fingerprinting for an Illinois State Police and FBI background checks. The cost for this is roughly $65 and must be covered by the mentor.
• Must be screened through the National Sex Offenders Public Website and the Illinois Child Abuse & Neglect Tracking System.
• Must complete an online training on recognizing and reporting child abuse.