Mentoring—all about selfless caring.
We believe each person is unique, worthy, precious, and has a destiny.

Intentional Mentoring Defined

Mentoring is an ongoing structured relationship between trusted and trusting individuals who grow and develop in a holistic partnership that includes academic, emotional, social, spiritual, and physical realms.

Both partners develop competence and character by

• discovering their gifts, talents and passions;
• dealing with their personal pain and life struggles;
• defining their own priorities;
• becoming effective problem-solvers; and
• determining short- and long-term goals.

Roles & Responsibilities

Mentors

1. Mentors are required to meet with their mentee at least once a week at for at least one academic year. Mentors are encouraged to car pool with their Family Leaders.
2. Mentors and their mentees must attend the monthly event coordinated by their Family Leader. Attendance for this event is MANDATORY. Mentors are encouraged to schedule additional one-on-one outings with their mentees each month.
3. Mentors must stay in regular contact with their mentees’ teachers. This can be done via email on most occasions; however, face-to-face meetings with teachers are encouraged if the mentee is having difficulty in a class.
4. Mentors must meet the mentees family by scheduling a home visit. Mentors are also encouraged to stay in regular contact with the mentee’s family.
5. Mentors must attend training workshops once a month. If you cannot meet the schedule, contact Jeannine to arrange an alternative day and time.
6. Complete personal goal forms (when children are also doing so with report cards) and an end-of-the-year Reach Out evaluation.

Family Leaders

1. Family Leaders mentor their mentors. Mentors must be able to share their problems and roadblocks, and be helped to see their successes. This is accomplished by
   • making weekly phone calls to mentors in their family groups to find out how things are going and what resources they need,
   • helping communicate Reach Out news and updates to mentors, and
   • planning monthly get-togethers for mentors in their families that include time to reflect and share more deeply what we are learning from mentoring, to do training worksheets, and to complete learning-style inventories and other surveys.
2. Family leaders must model and reinforce the growth in skills and strategies that are expected of mentors. The strategies prescribed are
   • openly sharing personal ways of applying, practicing, and internalizing our workshop training skills,
   • sharing personal reflections about ongoing growth and development in character, leadership, and integrity,
   • participating in monthly training workshops, and
   • attending bimonthly Family Leader meetings.
3. Family Leaders handle logistics for regular mentoring at sites, Family Events, weekend outings, World of Work experiences, and any community service projects by
   • coordinating transportation,
   • assisting with family event planning,
   • dealing with general problems associated with coming to evening and weekend outings or events for mentors, children, and family members, and
   • dealing with attendance problems at school, workshops, family events, etc.

Site Coordinators

Administrative

• Caseload: 20–25 children/tutor-mentors
• Bimonthly Team/Staff Meeting with MRO Director
• Recruiting/Matching. Be at UM Festifall Table. Work with Director to match children and tutor-mentors. Includes calling all children and parents/guardians; calling all tutor-mentors; making matches and following up that matches work out. Make changes as needed.
• Be at site MRO room Monday-Thursday from 2:30–4:30 PM. Set up room, prepare and manage attendance sheet check-in, provide AAPS late bus passes.
• Meet with tutor-mentors from 4–4:30 regularly to share concerns, praise reports, ideas, etc.
• Contact immediately any child or tutor-mentor who does not attend. With children, also talk to parent or guardian.
• Maintain site MRO room; know how to use manipulative materials; demonstrate materials and promote use by children, tutor-mentors.
• Maintain and provide healthy snack supply.
• Maintain files and records, including parent/child MRO registrations, parent/child signatures for their R & R’s, tutor-mentor registrations and agreements to R & R’s, copies of AAPS background checks, copies of child medical information provided to tutor-mentors.
• Communicate and share data with MRO database manager.
• Maintain files and provide guidance when progress reports and report cards are given out. Assist children and tutor-mentors in reviewing, making goals, etc.
• Meet with principals, counselors and teachers regularly to promote sharing of goals, specific learning/testing accommodations for children, concerns.
• Attend all MRO In-Services and monthly workshops. Try to organize to attend with own caseload.

MRO Training and Volunteer Management

• Assist tutor-mentors with problems that arise among them and their children, teachers, counselors, and parents via email or face-to-face communications.
• Encourage children and tutor-mentor to complete Learning Style inventories, career cruising and other talent surveys, and various surveys from other MRO workshops. Meet with children and tutor-mentors to talk about what they learn about themselves from these workshops and surveys.
• Facilitate goal setting for each new report card or progress report. Often utilizes knowledge and skills from MRO Inservice and workshops.
• Oversee tutor-mentor plans and schedules for each semester.
• Help tutor-mentors who are going to leave to find their replacement and assist with this transition.

Family Events

• Responsible for MRO Thanksgiving Potluck.
• May also plan other Family Events for your caseload or with co-site leader for all site children/families.
• Assist with other Family Events planned by Family Leaders or those staff come up with throughout the year.
• If arrange family event outings, responsible to communicate with Director and to oversee flyers, permission slips, etc.

World of Work

• Work with World of Work Coordinator and encourage participation in planned job shadowing, workplace tours, or research lab tours. Includes flyers, RSVP forms, contacting parents to drive, etc.
• Work with World of Work Coordinator and Washtenaw Community College planner to promote annual MRO WCC Day. Includes flyers, rsvp forms, attendance at WCC Day and greeting table.

Science Fair

• Meet with all site science teachers and gather their packets for science fair including: expectations and requirements, timeline for completion of various project requirements and assignments, etc.
• Help children and tutor-mentors select and execute science fair projects.

Children (mentees)

1. Attend every week. Bring planner, recent tests, current homework, and textbooks.
2. Facilitate communication among teachers, parents, and mentor by sharing notes and talking about work, problems, and learning.
3. Remain courteous and respectful with mentor, teachers, counselor, and parents.
4. Attend Family Events, weekend outings, World of Work experiences, and community service projects.
5. Complete personal goal forms after each report card and an end-of-year evaluation.
6. Attend workshops of interest.

Parents, Grandparents, and Guardians

1. Communicate regularly with mentor via email, phone calls, or in person at home or school.
2. Attend Family Events, World of Work experiences, and other appropriate outings.
3. Provide your child with transportation to events and outings. Offer to give rides for your child’s mentor.
4. Invite your mentor home for dinner at least once a semester.
5. Invite mentor to join you for school Open House/Capsule Night, parent-teacher conferences, and music or sporting events.
6. Attend Reach Out workshops when you can.

Site Staff

1. Communicate with mentors via email, phone calls, and/or after-school meetings.
2. Welcome mentors to conferences, Capsule Night, school evening events (e.g., NASA nights) and classes or advisories.
3. Inform mentors when children are “in trouble” with grades, homework assignments, choice of friends, and serious discipline issues.
4. Inform mentors when children are doing well or taking steps towards being a positive and responsible student (e.g., turning in homework on time, paying attention and being engaged in class).

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Last updated 28 Oct 07

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