As of the beginning of the 2007 school year, 82 pairs of mentors and mentees are meeting once a week at one of three schools: Johnson Primary, Lawrence Intermediate and Hohokam Middle schools. Most of the mentors are Pascua Yaqui tribal employees who are provided up to five hours per month, paid for by the tribe, to volunteer in schools.
Participants
Mentors are recruited primarily from employees of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, but any adult who is interested in forming a one-on-one relationship with a child who needs attention and support is welcome to apply. Mentors, 82% of whom currently are Yaqui and 28% of whom are male, are caring individuals with families of their own who want to help the children in their community. Mentors must commit for a year to meeting with their mentees once a week for an hour at
the school.
Mentees are referred by teachers, school staff, parents and even the children themselves. Children who have seen their classmates meeting with mentors have asked to be included in the program. The program is available to any child who would benefit from having a caring adult in his or her life. Currently, 81% of mentees are Yaqui and 55% are male.
Training, Matching and Support
The process to become a mentor includes applying, interviewing, background checks and training before a match is made. Mentors and mentees are matched based on their strengths, common interests and any special needs of the mentee. The initial contact is made at a "Meet Your Mentor" party where several mentors and mentees are meeting each other for the first time.
StrengthBuilding Partners, working in partnership with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the schools, manages the Mentoring Program and makes it easy to be a mentor. StrengthBuilding Partners staff provides training and support, makes all arrangements with the schools and provides activities for mentors to do with their mentees.
What the Mentors Say
"I like to encourage others to become mentors. It's fun! The kids look up to you and look forward to you coming to see them. What's an hour a week when you can make a difference in the life of a child? I like to let my mentee talk about what interests her, about school, her friends, what she will be doing over Christmas break. I treat her with respect. I also look out for her and talk to her about what's not appropriate for someone her age." - Marsha Aldrich
"It's good to be there for children, especially if there are problems at home. When children are worried about things at home, it affects their ability to focus on their school work. I find that when I play a game with my mentee, he can talk about what's going on and I can help him problem-solve and strategize about how he could handle something." - Louis DuBerry
History of the Program
The program actually began in 2001 when staff at Lawrence Intermediate School identified the need for a mentoring program for their students. As a part of its ongoing relationship with the school, StrengthBuilding Partners created a partnership with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Lawrence Intermediate and Johnson Primary to develop plans for a successful program. Key to the program's success is the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's policy that allows employees to volunteer in the schools during their workday. StrengthBuilding Partners wrote and secured a grant to fund the mentoring program from the Governor's Division of Drug Policy through a grant provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Title IV Program through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Evaluation
Evaluation of the program is conducted by Sally Stevens, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Women's Studies and Executive Director of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women at the University of Arizona. In addition to logs of activities and age-appropriate assessment tools and interviews with the mentees, the researchers track attendance, grades and disciplinary measures for children who are being mentored. Positive outcomes are documented in evaluation reports.