Applications are open for the Westlock & District Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) one-on-one mentorship program starting in October.
A new mentorship program, designed to support young people between kindergarten and grade six, connects them with older individuals from their early teens to their late 90s to serve as positive role models, helping to build self-esteem and motivation.
The FCSS has partnered with Ecole Westlock Elementary School, where a few kids will be handpicked to receive a mentor. The mentors will attend the school during one lunch hour a week from October to May.
Carla Nederhoff, a program coordinator with the FCSS, works closely with Meaghan Gottschalk, a representative of the school, to determine the best match-up. Students are picked by Gottschalk and some teachers based on their personal needs.
During these sessions, mentors and mentees will be put into the school library to learn about each other, ask questions, participate in activities and games and create a connection that develops leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
This is the second year that they are running this program, with it having a soft launch last year with only two mentors and three mentees. Nederhoff wanted to keep the program going because of the benefits for both parties: “The cool thing about that, too, is that it helped the kids, but it also did a lot for the seniors that were a part of it, too.”
The application process to become a mentor is detailed to ensure a safe and secure environment for the kids. Prospective mentors are required to provide the following:
- The completed volunteer application
- A clean Alberta Children’s Services Intervention Record Check
- A Police Security Check/Vulnerable Sector Check
- One character letter of recommendation
- One professional letter of recommendation
Those who pass this portion will then be required to interview with Nederhoff as an informal get-to-know-you, with the goal of matching a mentee with similar interests. Finally, a training session is held before the first date of mentoring begins.
“I have higher hopes this year because I know that at the school, there’d be people coming in there saying, “Oh, what’s that? Or “Oh, that’s such a good program.” And so they’ve shown interest,” says Nederhoff.
Applications are available for pick up at the FCSS office located on the corner of Highway 18 and 100 Avenue.
