MentoringWorks, Inc.

PROGRAM GOAL
Meet a pressing need to address work-related skill sets and future planning capacities for youth in transition times. To train and retain talent that benefits local employers and community.

TARGETED PARTICIPANTS
Students age 16-18 years of age (10th - 12th grade) from our collaborating schools who show a demonstrated focus in academic, social or career goals. Youth are referred to the program by teachers or guidance counselors or choose to participate through recruitment events during the school year.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND ACTIVITIES
The Beyond School Walls Program is comprehensive, mentored career exploration opportunity for high school students from Hastings and Adams County. The program works with students who are interested in learning about opportunities in healthcare or manufacturing. Both of these sectors are high-need and high-opportunity and are forecasted to remain so in the future. Students and their families are often not aware they exist and are accessible in many cases without a four-year degree.

The program builds awareness and connection through a two-pronged approach:
High quality tours and visits from providers, manufacturers and industry experts builds awareness and connection, thereby broadening mindsets at a time when career curiosity can stimulate heightened activity and focus in school.
Mentoring: for those junior and senior students who are ready to take their exploration to the next level and are interested in real world learning. They are matched with mentors who work in healthcare or manufacturing - depending on the students’ interest. The students and their mentors meet twice a month for 1-2 hours.

During their mentoring meetings, the pair may get involved in the daily work of the mentor, examine the work and lifestyle the job provides, connect with other adults and build understanding of the work environment. They may talk about the educational requirements of that position, the challenges and benefits of the job, and areas for career advancement. The relationship is designed to be mutually beneficial as the mentor has an experience of being of service and valued for their knowledge and competency.

The program has the potential to be a ground-breaking model and this past program year started to see that in evidence. The one-on-one mentoring is eye-opening for the students where they get to:
witness first-hand the reality of the jobsite/business environment
build their knowledge base about potential careers
engage in adult conversations about future paths, education and training
test out their own work theories and career interests before investing in career/educational paths.
The local employers benefit from the experience by developing future employment pipelines, increasing the community’s understanding and appreciation for their work and giving employees a chance to benefit from providing a community service.

Training and Support
Every volunteer participates in one and half hours of mandatory training before being matched with a youth. Beyond School Walls mentors discuss child safety, cultural diversity, activity ideas, and effective approaches to mentoring with program staff. Additionally, monthly phone calls or surveys allow our professional staff time to problem solve and provide ongoing training and resources to volunteers. Mentors often have questions that may need to be networked to school counselors, administration, or teachers. Match support contact allows for training and guided conversations specific to every child and volunteer’s unique needs.

Once matched, the mentors and mentees meet at the work-site and spend 1-2 hours engaged in work related tasks, training or conversations. The mentor may simply have the mentee job-shadow him/her while going about regular tasks, or may tour the facility, describe educational paths, converse about time management tricks or do sample work projects.

Intended outcomes:
Currently our agency aligns our major intended outcomes with those of evidence-based practices and support the current and future mission. These include that every child develops in the areas of confidence, competence, and caring.
Confidence includes: better self-confidence, increased ability to express feelings, development of decision making skills, improved personal care, and better sense of future.
Competence includes: better attitude toward school, improved ability to utilize school or community resources, improved school performance, increased ability to avoid delinquency, increased ability to avoid substance abuse, and increased ability to avoid early parenting.
Caring includes: increased trust of volunteer, growth in respect for people with cultural differences, improvement in family relationships, improvement in peer relationships, and improvement in adult relationships.

We utilize three primary tools developed to measure the outcomes of the program: Strength of Relationship survey (SOR), Youth Outcomes Survey (YOS) and a Match-Support Assessment system. The SOR is an on-going evaluation tool that helps match support specialists target areas of development for both the volunteer and the youth. This survey is completed by the volunteer and the youth at the match’s three month anniversary, as well as at the end of the school year. The YOS is a tool used to measure the effect that mentoring has on youth in three strategic areas: educational success, avoidance/reduction of risky behaviors, and socio-emotional competence.

We intend that the program will also increase:
employability
future wage earning
participation in the formal economy
academic achievement
school retention
school attendance