January is National Mentoring Month! We invite you to take a moment to reflect on those that played a mentorship role in your own life and thank them for being a caring adult. Mentoring relationships are basic human connections that let a young person know that they matter. Regardless of a naturally occurring or program-picked mentor, the most important forms of support to youth are helping to solve problems (49%), building a sense of belonging (48%), and helping to understand who they are as a person (45%). (https://mentoring.org) 

Mentoring strengthens community by providing support for healthy outcomes, and a sense of self and place. This is seen through 5 common themes in being a Meaningful Mentor: 

1) Accepting youth for who they are 

2) Listening carefully 

3) Trusting them 

4) Being patient 

5) Taking them seriously. 

Help the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center expand quality mentoring opportunities for local youth.  As a mentor, you can help youth feel supported, build their identity and sense of belonging, and explore new ideas and new opportunities. Mentoring is linked to improved academic, social, and economic prospects for young people, and that ultimately strengthens our community at large! 

Here are the community-based programs currently supported through the JLSFRC: 

First Generation Mentoring: provides 1:1 support, life skills, and group mentoring for teens who are preparing, as the first in their family, to enter post-high school education. This program supports the exploration of opportunities, peer support, and leadership during school or job application processes, and individual support throughout the first two years of post-high school studies or training. 

Pre-K through Middle School Group Mentoring: This type of mentoring provides social support for students/youth to build a sense of self and place. It focuses on helping children via social-emotional skills, language acquisition, cultural explorations, and physical activity. Creating positive friendships and a supportive peer group are key factors in helping kids thrive. 

Young Women’s Group: Provides supportive peer group interactions to cultivate positive mental health through therapeutic life skills building and leadership development. 

1:1 Mentoring: Connects children and youth with trained adult mentors to cultivate caring relationships focused on the child’s needs.  Mentor/mentee pairs meet weekly to cultivate individual strengths, gain a positive sense of self, and explore their full potential. Both mentor and mentee grow together, seeing the world through each other’s eyes.