Mentor-a-College-Student

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Join us as a volunteer mentor to help struggling, low-income college students find success!! Apply at: www.mentoringproject.org. Mentors can provide short-term career information or longer term guidance overcoming obstacles to graduation.

The Mentoring Project is a new e-mentoring program partnering with Seattle Colleges to support struggling college students. Join a small team of dedicated mentors who have these essential qualities:

• Non-judgmental and accepting of differences.
• Reliable, consistent and punctual.
• Good listening and communication skills.
• Ability to take apart complex problems and identify solutions and strategies.
• Degree from a college, university or certificate or training program.
• Willing to share expertise about one’s own career or academic path if and when relevant.

Preferred qualities and experience might include having struggled to stay in college, first-generation in family to attend college, bi-lingual and/or having identified as a part of a minority group while attending college or university. Please meet some of our current mentors and find the application at www.mentoringproject.org. Overall time commitment is about one hour a week with your student and two hours a month for training and chat group with other mentors.

Mentors:

1. Commit to working with your student(s) for at least one academic term; or if just for career mentoring typically 1-3 sessions.
2. Check-in weekly with the student by email, text, Zoom or other electronic methods.
3. Respect the student for "who they are" and strive to better understand and appreciate the student’s background in regard to race, religion, culture or economic circumstances or other differences.
4. Listen to student's needs, serve as a resource about campus and community support and services, encourage your student to believe in their own capacity to succeed and check-in on their progress seeking out and implementing solutions to obstacles.

Specifically, mentors:

• Assist your student each academic term to complete or update:
  • Determine specific goals to serve as benchmarks for measuring progress, such as:
    • Registration for the next term.
    • Establish an academic plan, as necessary.
    • Submit financial aid applications.
    • Engage in campus activities and programs.

• Identify barriers and establish top goals.
• Provide information and resources about campus and community services.
• Encourage self-advocacy & determination skills.
• Follow-up.

As part of The Mentoring Project Mentor Team, you agree to:

1. Attend an on-boarding session and one monthly (one-hour) discussion group with other mentors to review and share information and experiences.
2. Submit a brief electronic monthly progress report.
3. Consult program coordinator as needed to seek advice or should problems arise.
4. Maintain student’s confidentiality.

Please apply at https://www.mentoringproject.org/mentor-application