Mentor Coordinator Report
Number of Current Matches: 41
Highlights:
• 7 new matches made this month
• 1 match ended (one student moved & another student ended the program).
• 5 students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor
• 22 potential students interested or referred to the program
• 570 hours of mentoring so far this school year
• We had a Mentor Equipping in March on Social Media use with teens. This was taught
by Debbie Hull, who is working as a psychologist-in-training at Lynden Middle School.
The class was attended by almost 30 mentors and guests.
• We had our final two New Mentor Orientations in March, and they were well attended.
We had 10 new volunteers attend willing to be new mentors.
• NCCTK had Lisa Reynolds and I come and do a Youth Mental Health First Aid class for
their ministry staff (25 people). There were also 3 mentors that were part of their group.
Upcoming:
End of the Year Event for Mentors & Students – May 30th
Students interviews and program wrap up
Stories & Quotes To Share:
Life Changing
A parent was completely thrilled about the impact made on her daughter who in in the mentoring program. In fact, she was so moved by the changes she saw in her daughter that she decided to write the mentor a letter. The parent praised the mentor for a variety of things, but she was especially thankful for the cultural connection the two had made. The parent had also mentioned that the student would be attending a new school next year. But, instead of ending the mentoring relationship, she called the school to see if the mentoring relationship could continue, and they agreed. When the mentor shared this story with me, we were both moved to tears. I am thankful for mentors willing to share their time with a middle school student. The impact is greater than you can imagine.
Worth Coming For
One student was offered an opportunity that every student would take. A parent told her student that she could stay home from school on Friday, because of the activities happening that day. Normally, the student would have agreed and had a nice long 3-day weekend. However, the student remembered one important thing. Friday is mentoring day! So, because of her awesome relationship with her mentor, the student decided to come to school to see her mentor. In my opinion, this is incredible! Students are choosing to come to school to see their mentors.
Mentoring in Your Native Language
This last month we accomplished something significant. For the first time ever, we have a Spanish-speaking mentor matched with a Spanish-speaking student. Neither of them speak English, but they are a great fit for each other. Both the mentor and the student are content that they can connect with someone who speaks their native language. I hope this is the beginning of something great in our program.
Submitted by Brian Clemmer – clemmerb@lynden.wednet.edu