Become a Mentor: Paper City Mentoring Project

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Ross County is full of resilient, creative, intuitive teenagers who struggle to see past daily school and family struggles to a bright future. It's also full of patient, supportive adults who want to invest in this community but don't know where to start. The Paper City Mentoring Project exists to connect teenagers to committed adults for a mentoring relationship that can help them discover their potential and worth.

That kind of impact can inspire a teen to take action to create a future free from crime, addiction, and poverty. We also believe teens who connect with a mentor will pay it forward and mentor teens in the future, ending negative generational cycles and creating a ripple effect for positive change in our community.

What We Do
- Train and equip adults to mentor teens
- Match mentors with local high school students who could use someone in their corner
- Watch those mentor-mentee pairs grow as they learn from each other, are challenged, and have tons of fun with no strings attached
- Help facilitate a healthy mentoring relationship that can last far beyond graduation

We think mentoring teens is just as impactful to the mentor as it is to the teen. We want to be clear about the commitment it takes because it's very important to us and our teens that their mentors stick around. Please read below to learn about our mentor requirements.

Our mentors must be:
- 22 years of age or older
- Cleared on an FBI and BCI background check
- Willing to comply with all regulations and time commitments
- Able to take initiative
- Sincere in their desire to be involved with a young person
- Level 3 listeners (described in training)
- Discerning
- Most of all, able to see the value of our incredible teens and help them discover their potential.

Time Commitment:
- 1 hour weekly meetings for a minimum of 2 years
- Mentor/Mentee activities 7 times a year (typically last Thursday of the month)
- Mentor check-ins 2 times a year (dinner and some training)
- Completing monthly logs about your meetings (5 minutes monthly)


Seeking Female Volunteers: Yes

Seeking Male Volunteers: Yes

Minimum Match Commitment (in months): 12 months or longer

Type of Mentoring: One-to-One

Youth Population Served: Academically At-Risk, Adjudicated/court involved, First-Generation College, Foster, Residential or Kinship Care, Gang At-Risk, Gang involved, General Youth Population, Gifted/Talented/Academic Achiever, Homeless/Runaway, Incarcerated Parent, LGBTQ Youth, Low Income, Mental Health Issues, Opportunity Youth, Parent Involved in Military, Pregnant/Parenting, Recent Immigrant/Refugee, School Drop-Out, Single-Parent Household, Special Education, Youth with Disabilities

Mentoring Program Goals: Career Exploration, Education/Academic Support, Friendship/Socialization, Healthy Behaviors, Other

Ages of Youth Served: 15-18