SSVMENTOR TRAINING

SSV Facts at a Glance

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SSV is a non-profit organization that has been connecting the resources of

the local community to the Springfield Public Schools since 1969.

Annually, SSV brings more than 2,000 volunteers from the local

community into the Springfield Public Schools.

SSV has four core programs: the Citywide Read Aloud Program, currently

sponsored by Barings; the School-Based Mentoring Program; the Early

Literacy Program and the Academic Support (Tutoring) Program.

SSV also screens volunteers who serve in a variety of other support roles.

SSV’s School-Based Mentoring Program is currently the largest of its kind

in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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Denise N. Cogman, President and CEO

The Faces of SSV

Patricia Hanson-Staples, Director of Program Improvement

Jennifer Valentin,

Program Operations Support Coordinator

What are people saying?

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"SSV is quite supportive in providing information, identifying appropriate opportunities given your skills and coordinating activities."- Doug Jangraw, tutor, Springfield Central High School

"Believe it or not, an hour a week can be the difference for some of these students and I’ve seen it firsthand."- Robert Brown, mentor, Springfield Central High School

Mission of Mentoring

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We aspire to match 100 % of students in the Springfield

Public Schools needing a mentor with caring adult volunteers

who are prepared to: serve as role models, promote academic

achievement, promote consistent attendance at school, and

positively impact social emotional development.

Mentors Must…

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Complete a Volunteer Application and pass a CORI

Be at least 18 years of age

Commit to abide by the program’s Policies and Procedures*

Agree to a minimum commitment of one school year or until

the end of the current school year

Be able to meet with mentee for at least one hour each week

Undergo a reference check

Complete a Mentor Questionnaire

(as a part of the match process)

Studies Show

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Students who meet regularly with their mentors are:

52 % less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.

37% less likely than their peers to skip a class.

36 % more likely to aspire to enroll in and graduate from college

55 % more likely to later be enrolled in college

63% more likely to reduce high risk behaviors like violence, drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse.

And yet,

less than 10% of youth mentoring needs are being met.

(The Mentor Effect/Mass Mentoring 2015)

Program Basics

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SSV’s Mentoring Program is a School-Based Program.

Mentors meet only in school, during the school day.

Mentors do not meet on the weekends, during vacations or

over the summer.

Our program focuses on middle & high school students.

We do receive requests for mentors for elementary school

students and you are able to mentor an elementary school

student if you desire, but our focus is on middle and high

school students.

It has been shown that that our mentoring program is most

impactful with middle and high school students.

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Recognizable Mentoring Relationships

Pictured here are Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Thiers is an example of a direct

mentoring relationship. Warren Buffet is a great example of a resource broker.

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Recognizable Mentoring Relationships

• If a mentoring relationship is going to work then both parties need to be committed

to the process with a clear idea of what they can expect from each other.

• A mentor should reinforce the basics (wax on, wax off) so they become second nature.

• A good mentor will find the balance between keeping things real and pushing the student

to the next level.

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Recognizable Mentoring Relationships

• A mentor shares knowledge and wisdom with a less experienced companion.

• 900-year-old Jedi Master Yoda trained Luke to find the talent within himself, encouraged him to continue

on his journey, and famously told him, “Pass on what you have learned.”

A Mentor Is:

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A caring, responsible adult

A trusted guide or friend

A positive role model

A resource broker

What does this mean?Just as a real estate broker acts as an intermediary

between sellers and buyers of real estate, a resource

broker acts as an intermediary between mentees and the

resources they need to achieve their goals/dreams.

Characteristics of a Good Mentor

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Reliable – Be there

Trusted guide – Model positive character traits

Insightful – Look deeper; be understanding

Committed – Model stick-to-it-iveness

Respectful – Define and commit to rules of engagement

Empathetic – Model empathy (Put yourself in another’s shoes)

Resourceful – If you don’t have it, discuss ways to get it

Supportive – Sometimes just listening is enough

Sense of Humor – If you can’t tell a joke, at least laugh at one

Be Attentive

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Look:• Take note of any problems with hygiene or grooming.

• Look for clear eyes and attentiveness.

• Do you notice any signs of physical abuse?

• Is the student wearing flip-flops in the winter or heavy clothes

in the summer.

Listen:• Has your mentee said he is hungry

• Does your mentee talk about feeling afraid.

Communicate:• Know what to say and to whom

What to say and to whom: Mandatory reporting in the United States.

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In many parts of the world, mandated reporters are people who have regular

contact with vulnerable people such as children, disabled persons and senior

citizens, and who are therefore legally required to ensure a report is made

when abuse is observed or suspected.

Your mentee’s teacher, guidance counselor and other SPS staff members in

his/her school are mandated reporters.

However, staff members do not always have the opportunity to spend time

one-on-one with students the way a mentor does and you may hear or

observe something they have not. Therefore, it is important that you share

anything of concern you have heard or observed with a school staff member.

Things you will need to know:(P.S. We’ll tell you once you are matched)

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• Your mentee’s teachers’ names and contact information

• Your mentee’s guidance counselor’s name and contact information

• Who to call when you are not able to make it

• Who to call if there is an issue with the match

Things to establish at the beginning of the relationship:

• How you would like your mentee to address you

(Be clear about this from the beginning so that there is no confusion.)

• Your mentee’s name and how s/he would like to be addressed

(Be sure you know how to spell and pronounce it correctly.)

Boundaries

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Boundaries refer to the rules, guidelines, limits and standards that are expected. In mentoring, boundaries help youth and mentors understand the expectations each party brings to the match.

It is important to have your own boundaries and be aware of the mentee’s boundaries in the following three areas:

• Physical: No contact should feel uncomfortable to any party involved. Be aware of physical boundaries and seek to maintain them.

• Emotional: Personal limits we set in relationships that make it possible for us to separate our thoughts and feelings from those of others.

• Cultural: Language, behaviors, customs or beliefs that are acceptable to some, but not to others. It is important to set cultural boundaries without judging. For example, instead of labeling certain language as “bad,” mentors can express discomfort with the language and ask that mentees not use it during their time together. Depending on the relationship, a mentor may help the mentee understand why the language may not be appropriate in certain settings.

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What Do I Do For An Hour?

• Develop new ways to learn and practice good character

• Discuss things that unite different people

• Read the same book and discuss it

• Discuss alternative scenarios

• Collaborate on a short story

• Learn the lyrics to a pop song

• Complete an activity packet

• Invent a new word and meaning

• For younger students, collaborate on a coloring project.

o Encourage

o Always talk about how school is going!

TED Talk

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Click link to play video

Mentoring is one of the most powerful ways to transform struggling

communities. In this TED Talk, Brit Fitzpatrick, founder of a cloud-based

platform that facilitates more effective mentoring programs, explains how

and why mentoring works.

The video will open in a new window. Use your browser’s back button to go back to the training slides.

Springfield’s Demographics 2016

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District Student Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity

(2016-17)

Race % of District % of State

African

American19.5 8.9

Asian 2.4 6.7

Hispanic 64.8 19.4

Native

American0.1 0.2

White 11.8 61.3

Multi-Race,

Non-Hispanic1.4 3.4

Hispanic and African American students

made up 84.3% of the total student

enrollment in the Springfield Public Schools

during the 2016 – 2017 school year

Why is this important?

To open the dialog about cultural sensitivity

and diversity.

What do you know about this?

What do you need to know?

Gender Comparison 2015 - 2016

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63%

37%

Mentee Gender

Female

Male

71%

29%

Mentor Gender

Female

Males

During the 2015-16 academic year, 71% of

our mentors were females as opposed to 29%

who were males.

Why is this important?

Mentors drive matches. If we have ten

students who want a mentor but only one

volunteer who meets those requests, we can

only make one match.

The Problem:

We have more requests for male mentors than

we have and are therefore in need of

increasing our Male Mentor Pool.

Ethnicity Comparison 2015- 2016

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11%

3%

72%

7%3% 4%

Mentor Ethnicity

African American

Asian

Caucasian

Hispanic

Multi Racial

Other/Unknown

Ethnicity Comparison 2015-2016

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24%

2%

12%58%

4%

Mentee EthnicityAfrican American

Asian

Caucasian

Latino

Multi Racial

KEEP IN TOUCH!

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Facebook: facebook.com/springfieldschoolvolunteers

Website: springfieldschoolvolunteers.org

Phone: 413-787-7015

Tell the World About Our Program!

THANK YOU!