Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance

Mission Statement

The Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance invests in the future of the community by creating and supervising long-term relationships between caring adults and at-risk school children
in need of academic and social support. We do this through one-on-one or group/team mentoring. Children in grades k-12 are nominated for a mentor by their teachers, school counselors, parents, neighbors or in many cases, kids self-refer. We have a Mentor Center located on every public school campus within the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, complete with a wide variety of fun activities that help mentors and mentees to build a trusting relationship. Examples include study areas, art supplies, board games, puzzles, sports equipment, air hockey, fooz ball, pool tables, etc. Mentors meet for a minimum of one hour, once a week during the school day, at a time when the teacher allows them to leave their classroom to go to the Mentor Center. Mentors receive an initial 4 hour training/orientation, followed by ongoing support in the form of an annual Mentor Forum, Author Seminars, Round-table Workshops, one-on-one counseling and monthly support groups. Mentees also receive pre-match training to fully understand the role they play in the match. All matches are made based on mutual interests. We also provide an array of after-school enrichment activities and field trips to keep mentoring fun. Mentors are asked to make a serious, long-term commitment to the child or group they are matched with. Our hope is that these friendships will last a lifetime.