Stories to share:
It’s been an interesting month. Before school closed, I had a fun time facilitating an unusual meeting with a mentor and student. The mentor had health concerns and didn’t think it was wise to come to school, but really wanted to connect with his mentee. I had the student come to my office at their regular meeting time and we called the mentor on my phone. I thought they might just talk for a few minutes since most students are used to have extended phone conversations–instead they talked the whole hour and played a question card came over the phone. They both had a great time, and we discussed doing the same thing the following week. (Of course, we didn’t know that a few days later we would be out of school for several weeks.)
I always enjoy hearing from mentors and students who stay connected after they are out of school and become lifelong friends. Here’s a message I recently received from a mentor who continues to meet with her student after graduation. “Mentoring has been the best experience for me. I’ve loved every minute of it! Thank you so much for matching us up. We continue to meet regularly and have become the sweetest of friends. Brandi has grown up so much: she’s grown in her confidence, a sense of adventure, and zest for life. As her mentor, I really have been her cheerleader to the best of my ability and have grown very fond of her. I’m so proud of where she’s been and where she’s going!”
Program update:
51 currently active matches; a couple just started in the last month and have only had 2 or 3 meetings
With school our extended school closure, it is a challenge to try to maintain these important connections with a school based program limited to meeting on campus. We will not be making new matches or training new mentors while school is closed.
At this time I am able to share mailing addresses with mentors who want to send something to their student. I am also able to forward email messages from mentors to their students through our school email accounts.
We are not being allowed to have mentors directly text, call, or have a virtual face to face meeting with students at this time due to safety guidelines
We are holding zoom meetings for mentors to gather and connect with each other as a group. Last Friday we had about 15 mentors join in our meeting with either the middle school or high school group.
We will do our best to support students and mentors during this challenging time.