Welcome to the Mentor Corner!
Your commitment to making a difference in the life of a child is an important one. This will be a rewarding endeavor (for both you and your mentee), but there may be bumps and turns along the way. This page provides resources to help you along your mentoring journey.
Mentor Highlight
Amanda Adel Adel has been mentoring for two years at East Dover Elementary. She is one of more than 25 mentors at Aetna, one of our most active Creative Mentoring Business Partners. She sees the positive effects mentoring has had on her mentee, Katie, such as improved self esteem, confidence, socialization skills, and grades. Even though she only spends one hour per week with Katie, Amanda knows that the changes and life skills that Katie has learned will last a lifetime. Katie’s mom and teacher recently shared with Amanda how much improvement they have seen in her communication and relationship skills throughout the past school year.
Amanda says: “Katie asked me if I could mentor her every day because I listen to her and she knows she can trust me and that this would be the longest summer ever because she wouldn't be able to see me until the start of the new school year.”
Amanda has offered to help the Creative Mentoring program get other mentors and businesses involved, since she has seen first hand how beneficial this program has been for Aetna employees and in her own life. She says to anyone considering becoming a mentor: “Give it a try. You may not think you are making a difference but the small amount of time you give these kids makes a life lasting impression on them. You may not see the benefits immediately but they will come.”
Thank you, Amanda, for your outstanding commitment to mentoring!
Each month we highlight an extraordinary mentor. If you’d like us to recognize someone you know, please email a brief description of the mentor (and a photo if you have it) to sferrell@connecting-generations.org.
Remember, if you have questions or concerns regarding your mentoring relationship, your first line of support should always be the school coordinator. In addition to managing the mentoring program, he or she is often the guidance counselor or the school interventionist and will be able to give you guidance for many of the common problems you have. He or she also will know when to escalate the problem to the principal or assistant principal for resolution. The problem you've seen, even if new to you, may not be new for the child and there may already be a plan in place or actions that have been taken to deal with the issue. Discuss the issue with the coordinator and let him or her manage any serious issues through school channels.
Your second line of support is Creative Mentoring. Your association with us did not end with your training! We are always available to answer questions, help you deal with mentoring problems and intercede with the school if necessary.
Creative Mentoring Newsletters
Read past newsletters for tips, resources, and news about Creative Mentoring.
FAQs
You're not alone. Read the answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions that mentors have.