Mentor for Middle School Students

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PURPOSE:

To establish a caring, supportive relationship with an at-risk elementary or middle school student.

TIME REQUIREMENT:

Mentors are required to spend approximately one to one-half hour per week throughout the school year with their student. All visits must take place on school campus only during school hours.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must be a caring, sensitive person who is interested in establishing a supportive relationship with an at-risk student.
• Must be a patient, empathetic listener who can provide warmth, encouragement, and emotional support to the student that you mentor.
• Must be reliable and dependable and possess good judgment.
• Must commit to mentoring an at-risk middle school or elementary school child once a week for the academic year, health and other circumstances permitting.
• Complete forms consenting to Background Screening by the DJJ, FDLE, and FBI.
• Pass the background screening process.
• Practice qualities of tolerance, compassion, understanding, stability, maturity, and decency.

TRAINING:

• All mentors must attend a comprehensive mentor training session before they may begin working with students.
• Mentors are encouraged to attend bi-monthly workshops to reinforce and supplement your training to be an effective mentor. These meetings are usually less than 90 minutes long.
• All trainings include a discussion of the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the students in the mentor program.
• All trainings include a discussion of the lines of authority and the accountability within the mentor program and within JFCS with respect to the program.
• All training includes a discussion of documentation/timesheet responsibilities, confidentiality obligations, and an opportunity to ask questions regarding specific situations which one may encounter during the mentoring process.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Observe principles of confidentiality with respect to your student.
• Mentors will submit two simple timesheets each month (Monthly Time Sheet & the Volunteer-Client Contact Report) which should take no more than five minutes of your time to complete.
• Maintain regular communications about your student with the School Coordinator of the school at which you mentor, the School Coordinator is responsible for running the counseling/clinical program in which you student participates.
• In the event of a personal emergency and you need to cancel a visit, you need to contact your School Coordinator first. If that is not successful please contact the school and ask them to notify the student.
• All mentors must agree to abide by and comply with the JFCS Mentors Manual AND policies and procedures as set forth by Sarasota and Manatee County School Boards as visiting mentors and tutors at public schools.

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY:

• JFCS School-Based Programs provide counseling on anger management, substance abuse prevention, communication skills, and problem-solving skills to elementary and middle school children who have either been suspended from school or are engaging in high-risk behaviors that could result in suspension from school and/or legal problems.
• The service philosophy for the School-Based programs is that a student experiencing behavioral problems would benefit from a counseling program located on school campus rather than suspending the student from school or ignoring the problematic behavior until more drastic action is required.
• By providing students with individual and group counseling, academic assistance, coupled with the option of having a volunteer mentor to meet with on a weekly basis throughout the school year, the student should be able to correct their problematic behaviors, remain in school and prevent further escalations of behavior that could have life-threatening results.