Mentoring Program

Volunteer Mentors are recruited, screened and trained by the program coordinator.  Criminal screening will be performed by the Holmes County Sheriffs Department upon written consent of the prospective mentor.  This will include a criminal background check and a police check on the Ohio Public Sex Offender Registry. Volunteers will also be screened to determine adults who are unlikely to keep their time commitment or who may pose a safety risk to youth. 

Training will entail 6 hours of classroom instruction and CPR certification.  Pre-match training provides important opportunities to ensure that the mentors have an understanding of their role so they may develop realistic expectations of what may be accomplished.  The classroom instruction will focus on the program goals (outlined below), available community resources and linkage, relationship building, communication skills, values clarification, child development and problem solving.  

The mentor’s role will is multi-faceted, enriching children’s live and addressing their need for positive adult contact.  It includes a commitment to directly relate with the child at least four to eight hours per month for a period of 12 months.  Through a professionally supported relationship with a caring adult, children will be assisted in reaching their highest potential as they grow into responsible adults. 

The mentor will see their role from two themes that stand out above all others as successful prevention approaches.  These are individualized attention and community-wide support.  A recreational and friendship focus between the mentor and child will allow the mentor to enter the realm of the child’s life (school, home, church, peers).  This outlook offers a positive, broad-based program that focuses less on specific problems after they occur, and more on meeting youths’ most basic developmental needs.  The mentor’s role is to support the child in their various endeavors, not explicitly change the child’s behavior or character. 

Therefore, the goals of each mentor are:

·      Creating supportive, quality relationships and nurturing children

·      Providing enriched school experiences

·      Encouraging and supporting positive peer relationships

·      Monitoring child for psychological stressors

·      Countering negative influences of impoverished families

A mentoring strategy that includes the above components will ensure each delicate relationship will “take root” and flourish.  Early intervention, in combination with parental involvement can provide opportunities for growth and development.  Within this framework, values clarification can establish social competency and responsible decision making. 

Support to the mentors during their relationship with the children will be provided by the program coordinator on a monthly basis with the first contact occurring within two weeks of the initial match.  Ongoing support and supervision will be provided to the adult, child and child’s family. Training and advice will be provided to help ensure that the match is satisfying and fulfilling for everyone involved.  Matches will be made according to everyone’s interest, hobbies and personalities.

The coordinator will refer to Probation Officers for additional guidance, support and direction in meeting specific needs brought by the mentor. It is anticipated that relationship between the child, mentor, family, coordinator, juvenile court employees, school personnel, and clergy will develop into a team approach to help each child succeed, both academically as well as within the community. 

In dealing with the problems of juvenile delinquency, creating more opportunities for our children and helping them find strong, positive adult role models are among the societal goals that can be achieved through the implementation of mentoring programs.  When children are served by these efforts and feel good about themselves, they positively impact their friends and families, their schools, and their communities. Call Rebecca McKelley (330-674-5841) if you have questions or would like to become a mentor.