Who can be a mentor?
Any man or woman aged 21 or older with a college education and a desire to help a young person!
Who would I mentor?
An academically-promising, low-income high school student from Marion County.
Why do students need a mentor?
Many low-income students cannot get critical, practical information about college and life from home or school. Parents and school personnel are simply too busy or inexperienced.
What do mentors do?
As a “college coach,” you help a student stay on track to graduate from high school and prepare for college by picking the right classes, building resumes and learning job skills. Oh - and mentors also have fun with their students.
What is my time commitment?
Starfish Mentors make a two-year commitment to their Scholar. In those two years, we ask that you and your Scholar meet just twice a month, then call, text, or email once on the “off” weeks. Not bad. A very high percentage of our Mentors ask to remain with their Scholar the second two years of high school – for the big pay off: high school graduation and college entrance!
What does "meet twice a month" mean?
Scholars benefit most from in-person, eye-to-eye meetings and interaction. We offer opportunities to meet face-to-face such as our summer picnics, our annual winter break get together (our ice skating event was a blast!), campus visits, etc. But the very best visits are those when you and your Scholar are alone and can talk about important things: ambition, the future, teenaged life, college life. And those follow up texts or phone calls we ask you to make reinforce your presence in your Scholar’s life and remind your Scholar that you’ve got their back – that you are a phone call away if they have a question or would like to talk.
What do I have to offer a student?
The best gift is interest and attention to his or her talents, interests and dreams and some extra know-how from your experience about how to reach those goals.
How do I become a mentor?
Simply fill out the application (we’ll run a criminal background check), stop by for a visit to get to know us, and attend a mandatory training session. For more information, please contact Tameka Boudaia, Recruitment Coordinator, at 317.955.7918 or tameka@starfishinitiative.org.
What qualities make for a successful mentor?
There are many attributes that can make you a successful mentor. Here are a few of the top qualities we look for:
- Commitment. Mentoring relationships take time to make a positive impact.
- Ability to listen. Listen, ask thoughtful questions, and allow students to explore their own thoughts.
- Empathy. Good mentors can feel for people without feeling pity for them.
- Problem-solving. Help a student make sense of issues and suggest alternatives; but your student makes the decisions.
- Flexibility and openness. Good mentors take time to get to know their student and are open to learning about new trends and new technologies.
Why is mentoring important?
Students with mentors have:
- Better school attendance
- Better attitudes toward school
- Better chances to attend higher education
- Less likelihood to begin using drugs
- More positive social attitudes and relationships
What do I DO with my Scholar?
Do whatever is comfortable and whatever feels right based upon your common interests. (Yes, you will have interests in common with a teenager!) If you both like the arts, track down all the free theater and concerts you can. Sports? Keep your eyes open for emails from us offering tickets that are often donated to us (and act FAST). If you both like the outdoors, go hiking, work in the yard, or hop on a couple bikes.
Even sitting at Starbucks with a cold or hot drink can amount to an appropriate college access mentoring activity if that Scholar has never been there. We ask our Mentors to expose their Scholar to those things more affluent college students will have experienced. Build their social and cultural capital for college – all the while sharing what you know of the ins and outs of college life. Have fun. Be creative. Talk with other Mentors about what they have done with Scholars.
If you have additional questions, please contact us here.
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