Meet Rita as she shares her love for the youth she works with.....


I have a fantastic job. I get to meet the most wonderful people in the world. I interview volunteers: individuals, couples and families, who step forward to mentor a child needing support. As I get to know the volunteers, I have images and characteristics of amazing kids swimming around in my head.

Last week I got to know a teen I have known for over three years, a little better. Jeffrey witnesses his younger sister and her fantastic mentor match. He has wanted one too - and now, due to some changes in his life, he is ready to meet a wonderful mentor! Jeffrey is a great teen. He is smart, respectful and interested in lots of things, including playing games like Jenga and checkers. He also likes biking, skateboarding and rollerblading, swimming, basketball and football. He might like to learn Karate. He helps his grandmother with grocery shopping and he helped his grandfather rewire and install a ceiling fan.

Jeffrey has been in an adult-like role of caring for his younger siblings - he could really benefit from a thoughtful mentor or a mentor couple who could help Jeffrey enjoy being a kid! If you or someone you know is ready for the positive, life changing, experience of being a friend to Jeffrey, let us know at kidsnkinship.org. We will be happy to tell you more . . .

Why do some mentoring relationships just click, while others seem to plod along slowly and others never seem to get off the ground? There are many reasons including individual, family and outside influences. A few thoughts are:


>Interpersonal History
Children and adolescents who have enjoyed healthy relationships with their parents may more easily be drawn to adults as role models and confidants. If you know how to interact with your family, it will play out in your outside relationships

>Social Competencies
This refers to children who possess the social, emotional, and intellectual skills and behaviors needed to succeed as a member of society. Youth who are better able to regulate their emotions and who have positive temperaments and/or other engaging attributes may be primed for higher levels of involvement with adults than are peers who lack these attributes.

>Developmental Stage
How old a mentee is will also certainly effect the mentoring relationship. Younger children thrive from active play and activities while older transitioning to teen age may want to engage in talking and conflict soling as well as life issues that arise.

>Relationship Duration

The longer the length of the relationship, the larger the benefits. Mentors get to know their mentee better as time goes on and as the relationship deepens so do the advantages.

>Program Practices
Programs that match their mentors well, stay involved with the match and offer mentor support have a greater likelihood of matches surviving tough periods between the mentor and mentee.

>Family Context
Parents who are involved actively in the program increase the youths chances at success. Mentoring programs that reach out to and involve the whole family have a greater change at helping at risk youth and in shaping their futures,

>Neighborhood Ecology
Community activity and involvement and support can also have an profound effect on youth today. The more cohesive a community the more likely it is youth will be able to have stong ties to those around them



Excerpts and summary from: by Jean Rhodes
at The Chronicle of Evidence Based Mentoring
For more information click here