Wednesday, June 8, 2016

SUMMER FUN!!





Summer fun!!  Try some of these!!






1) “Mentees are teachers!” Have your mentee teach you something they are knowledgeable about.
2) “Go on a trip!” Not really of course, but choose a place you have always wanted to visit (Fiji, Greece, Disney World) find pictures and fun facts in magazines, books and online. When
 is the best time to go?  What do you want see while you are there?  Then make your own scrapbook or travelers guide.  A great way to explore and learn geography!  
3) Play the “Who, what, when, where, why, how” game.   Rip 6 pieces of paper and on each write “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why” and “how”.  Read a story, and take turns drawing one of the pieces of paper and answering a made up “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “why” or “how” about the story.
4) “Learn a language!”  Learn Sign language, Spanish, Latin or Pig Latin!  Teach each other a new word or phrase at each session.  Write them down to keep track and see how many you can remember.
5) “Act it out!”  Go to the library find a play, and read it out loud.
6) Make your own board game.
7) “Write a letter!”  Talk to your school’s mentor coordinator about finding a pen pal for you and your mentee at their school (the principal or guidance counselor), abroad or with armed service member.   a. For younger students you can work on your letter together letting them dictate to you or maybe help to write.
8) Make a bird feeder.   Do your research on what types of birds are in your area.  Find out about each bird's preferred habitat and diet.  With the right food, you may be able to attract some birds that you don't normally see otherwise.
9) “Story Swap!”  Start writing a story with your mentee, then each take turns taking the story home and adding new fun twists and turns to the story.  
10) “What is onomatopoeia?  Find out!”  Each of you seek out new and interesting English words and share them at your next session.  Make your own book of definitions. 52 Mentor Activities: An activity for each week! Feel free to change the activities to fit your mentee’s interest, or come up new activities! 
11) “What’s your plan?”  Make a timeline of your life over the next 5‐10 years.  What do you want to accomplish by the time you are 10, 16, 18 and 25?
12) “Make a collage!” Choose a theme like: “What do I want in my future?”, “What is fashion“, “What I want to be”, and find pictures and words in old magazines and glue them on paper. a. For younger students you can collage a specific letter and cut pictures out that begin with that letter, or make a number chart finding and cutting out pictures of: 1‐ dog, 2‐  letter “w”, 3‐ shoes, etc.   
13) Make a kite   
14) Write a haiku
15) Play 20 questions
16) Put together a puzzle or make your own.
17) Play hangman
18) Play Sudoku
19) Do a crossword puzzle or word search, or make your own!
20) “It’s a mystery!”  Write down a list of 10 things you’ve always wanted to know.  “Why is it dark at night?”  “How does a car work?”  “How does an airplane fly?”  Go to the library or go to the internet and figure out the answers!

Ideas taken from http://www.creativementoring.org/

Adverse experiences


Adverse Experiences For Youth Are All Too Common

(Reposted with Permission from Paul Meunier)

Adverse experiences are a common denominator among the young people served by Youth Intervention programs. For young people who experience trauma, many will struggle with social, emotional or behavioral problems as they grow up.
It is estimated that 66% of youth may have at least one adverse experience in their history and more than 20% may have three or more adverse experiences. With this prevalence, youth workers must have a thorough knowledge of the impact of adverse experiences and how to effectively work with youth who have had experienced them.

Some of the adverse experiences youth experience are:

  • Emotional abuse or neglect – Youth are told they are no good, are stupid or are at fault for problems. Others may be ignored, made to feel unimportant or are excluded from positive emotional connections with their caregivers.
  • Physical abuse or neglect – Youth are hit, pushed or slapped hard enough to leave a mark or cause injury. Not having their basic needs met (e.g. food, health care, shelter) can make youth feel unsafe.
  • Sexual abuse – Youth are exploited by a caregiver or stranger; they forced the youth to touch or be touched in a sexual manner or to engage in intercourse.
  • Problems in the household where care is given – Issues such as mental health, chemical abuse, domestic violence or other maladaptive behaviors are present and create instability or unpredictability in care giving.
Results from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) study indicate that different types of trauma can lead to a diverse array of maladaptive behaviors in our youth.
It’s not difficult to spot behaviors that have resulted from adverse experiences. Throwing a chair in the classroom or a youth cutting their arms to the point of bleeding can’t be missed. However, it does take skill to identify the trauma that is the root cause of the behavior and know how to appropriately respond.
Simply trying to change the behavior is not effective for promoting a youth’s long-term healthy development. Rather than resolving the issue, there is the potential to do more harm than good.
It is important that the Youth Intervention services we provide are trauma informed.

Trauma informed care means:

  • Understanding the impact of trauma
  • Being able to recognize and identify symptoms of trauma
  • Using evidence-based practices
  • Having policies procedures in place specific to addressing the various cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems associated with trauma
  • Being committed to avoiding the re-traumatizing the youth

Youth Intervention programs that utilized trauma informed care will:

  • Screen for adverse experiences in youth. It is a component of their intake.
  • Consider the impact of adverse experiences in all their interactions with youth. It is a constant awareness and not just when a youth is in crisis.
  • Help caregivers of youth understand the impact that trauma has on youth and provide restorative techniques that will also help caregivers to heal.
  • Set out to help young people understand how the adverse experiences have influenced their life. The intent is to help youth turn negative self-beliefs into an understanding of why they do what they do.
  • Help youth develop coping skills that can help heal past experiences or to cope with experiences that are likely to continue in their care giving
Without appropriate intervention, youth who experience trauma could easily become the next generation of caregivers unable to provide their children with a nurturing environment. On a much larger scale, if this cycle is to be broken, Youth Intervention must be considered an essential service so that all youth get the help they need.
Paul Meunier is the Executive Director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA)

Monday, May 9, 2016

Bowling fun!

Kids 'n Kinship had our annual bowl-a-thon a few weeks back.  The busyness that led up to it made other things take a back seat (like this blog) But it was so worth it!!  Families, mentors, mentees and the community all partnered up together to play and talk and do some amazing bowling (and a little shopping at our silent auction)!  

Were you there?  Or did you miss it?  Here are a few shots from the party!  
 It was national volunteer week so the kids made presents for their mentors!!

Local business came and volunteered!!

Families came together! We overheard numerous comments about how much fun it was and how great it was to see the mentors and mentees in action!!




          

WE RAISED $10,000 TO BENEFIT 
KIDS 'N KINSHIP!!

Monday, March 28, 2016



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 . . .

Thursday, March 17, 2016


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

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Extraordinary



Mentoring...

It's awesome to watch the ordinary people who are willing to give of themselves with no real thought to getting anything in return- yet they do get something extraordinary!!


I am also amazed at the courage of parents to reach out for their child and ask for help.


This weekend I had the privilege of watching a family ask for guidance as well as a mentor and mentee begin their relationship. The family is going through some challenges and the kids are now living with their father. There are 2 older boys and one young girl. Dad works 2 jobs to support the kids and he is concerned his little girl is missing "girly things" in her life, so her school counselor called me. Who am I? I am a coordinator at Kids 'n Kinship. What do we do here? Here's how Kids ‘n Kinship works: Mentors and mentees get together on a weekly basis for fun and enriching activities. The mentor/mentee match builds an intentional friendship through sharing hobbies, sports, going to the park, arts & crafts, community events and other opportunities. The program focuses on spending time together and building a relationship. It was delightful to meet this little girl and learn about her interests and things she would love to do with a girl!


The second activity I had the opportunity to participate in this weekend was what we call "making a match" which is when I find a fabulous mentor for one of our incredible kids and they get to meet to begin their relationship. We work really hard at matching kids and adults who are just going to "CLICK" and this weekend was no exception! As soon as we all got together the teen and the mentor started talking and finishing each others sentences and planning things they would do. Mom kept chiming in with how remarkable it was that they had so much in common!!


I am a mom of 4 myself and I applaud the courage it takes for a parent to reach out and ask for help with their child. What I find amazing is the willingness of the parents to trust the well being of their child to another adult - yet, with my personal experience with being a coordinator, I see all the excellent processes that we take and I hope that I can reassure any worries a parent may have. I love being able to connect with parents to talk, encourage and empower them!!.


I see how the children in our program gain so much from having another person in their life that loves them unconditionally. Helping establish these relationships and watching them grow is the biggest benefit of my job!




Do you want to be a part of something like this and make a difference in your community? Check out our website here!!


Smiles!!!

Melynda








Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Powerful Mentoring!

Search Institute
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Sometimes we think of mentors narrowly as those who sign up through a formal program to spend time with a young person. In addition to these formal mentors, informal or everyday mentors can be any trustworthy adult who offers support, guidance, and encouragement to help young people overcome challenges and become their best selves.

What specific actions can adults take in their relationships with young people that help youth learn, grow, and thrive? Search Institute's newest research on developmental relationships identifies five essential actions that lay the foundation for a powerful mentoring relationship:
 
  1. Express Care: Young people value relationships with adults who show they genuinely like them and want the best for them. These relationships help youth know they really matter.
     
  2. Challenge Growth: Young people value relationships with adults who insist that they do their best to learn and improve.
     
  3. Provide Support: Young people value relationships with adults who offer tangible, appropriate feedback and guidance in completing tasks and achieving goals--without taking over and doing it for them.
     
  4. Share Power: Young people value relationships with adults in which they feel their voice is heard and they share in making decisions that affect them. This helps youth develop self-confidence and self-direction.
     
  5. Expand Possibility: Young people value trustworthy adults who help them broaden their horizons and connect them to opportunities for growth and discovery. 
Taken from The Search Institute Here.