Editor’s be aware: Every week, the Columbus Telegram will likely be profiling a neighborhood service group to focus on what every group does for the group.
Each time a teen has a mentor to look as much as, it creates a butterfly impact throughout the group, TeamMates Mentoring Program co-coordinator Tricia Faust mentioned.
Faust and program members have witnessed quite a few native success tales.
“Mentoring has such an incredible ripple impact in the neighborhood,” Faust mentioned. “It doesn’t solely assist that youngster immediately by giving them one other caring grownup of their life and one other constructive function mannequin however in flip, if it helps that youngster, it’s going to assist that youngster’s classroom, their dwelling and the group as a complete.”
TeamMates is a school-based mentoring program the place the group pairs a pupil with a volunteer who visits the youth throughout one class or lunch interval as soon as per week all through the varsity 12 months, Faust mentioned. The mentors can partake in quite a lot of actions with their mentees reminiscent of taking part in basketball or board video games, happening a stroll or sitting and speaking so long as it’s on faculty grounds, she added.
“One of many greatest issues is we would like the youngsters to have a way of hope when there’s one other caring grownup of their life,” TeamMates co-coordinator Tim Hamilton mentioned of what he hopes the youths can take away from this system. “You may’t at all times measure it or articulate it particularly however only a sense of hope in life usually once you’ve acquired a caring grownup is – sounds easy – one of many best issues.”
Persons are additionally studying…
Presently, there are mentors at native faculties like Columbus Center, Columbus Excessive, Lakeview Junior-Senior Excessive, Scotus Central Catholic, Platte Creek Elementary, Shell Creek Elementary and Boys City Duncan Day Faculty.
Columbus Center Faculty counselor Kim Shevlin mentioned the scholars cherish having a mentor.
“They take pleasure in having that grownup who’s there each week and that they will rely on to be there,” Shevlin mentioned. “… They sit up for the visits.”
Teammates was began in 1991 by former Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne and his spouse, Nancy, as a strategy to create an affect on younger college students’ lives, in line with the TeamMates web site. It has since turn into a statewide program that has additionally grown throughout 5 states.
In the meantime, Columbus’ chapter is at present in its twenty third 12 months, Faust mentioned.
There are a number of methods during which the kids are chosen. Children will typically self-nominate whereas in different situations TeamMates will get referrals from different businesses, Faust mentioned.
Moreover, based mostly on a volunteer’s faculty desire, Faust mentioned she’s going to name the tutorial institute that there’s a mentor who desires to assist. The college workers members then match the volunteer and pupil, Faust added.
“That’s not the way it at all times occurs however numerous instances that’s the way it goes,” Faust mentioned. “As I get volunteers I notify the varsity and so they can pull a child that they really feel can be a superb match and would benefit from the mentoring expertise and profit from having one other caring grownup of their life.
“The faculties have a ton of children that they might like to have in this system. Each youngster can profit from one other mentor and function mannequin of their life.”
TeamMates is in search of such volunteers to mentor space youths. For extra data, contact the group at both 402-564-8326 or teamne@megavision.com or visiting teammates.org. The TeamMates web site consists of an utility to turn into a mentor.
Andrew Kiser is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Attain him by way of e mail at andrew.kiser@lee.net.