Become a Mentor
Frequently Asked Questions
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Mentors meet with their friends, either at school or in the community, just to hang out and be a friend for 2-3 hours a week for at least 12 months. We’ll give you lots of ideas for free activities you can do together, but it’s up to the two of you to decide what you want to do together and when you will meet.
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Mentors must be 18 or older and are accepted based on an application and screening process which includes an FBI fingerprint background check, reference checks, and an interview. After that you must successfully complete our mentor training process, which takes about 20 hours. You will also need to have a vehicle, valid driver’s license and auto insurance.
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Once invited to the program as a mentor you will choose the child you want to mentor. We will help you to develop a trusting relationship by our training and ongoing support program. You get to decide what day and time you mentor and you will spend time together with your friend in the community. You’ll also become a part of your friend’s mental health treatment plan and become part of the professional team that serves the child and helps you to become a successful mentor.
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We provide match support for as long as you are mentoring your friend. We are a high quality-mentoring program and our goal is to help you enjoy your mentoring experience so much that you’ll want to stay matched with your friend even past your one-year commitment! Our pre-match training will prepare you to confidently handle situations that may arise and our helpful staff is only a phone call or an email away.
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Some work full time and others are college students or retired; their education levels are from high-school to doctorates degrees; some have children of their own while others don’t. We have a fire fighter, a pilot, a homemaker, a laborer, business people, students and food service and health service workers; the list goes on. Our mentors are all kinds of people with different personalities but one thing in common: they have compassion for a child who needs a friend and are willing to let us help them to be that friend.
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No, we provide training and support.
Mentor Application
Meet our Mentors
Hear from Mentors and Youth