SHIELD Mentor Program

Expected outcomes of the SHIELD Mentor Program are improved academics, better school attendance, and decreased delinquent behaviors, aggression, and other problematic behaviors. The structure of the mentoring programs creates an atmosphere designed to decrease the limitations in the lives of youth to help them become more likely to fulfill their highest potential.

Mentors will be able to encourage mentees to 1) develop a positive attitude, 2) identify personal values and goals, 3) be open to new ideas, 4) use creative problem-solving strategies, 5) be an attentive listener 6) ask assertive questions, 7) be an independent thinker, 8) recognize their individual strengths, 9) develop self-confidence, 10) take risks, 11) be aware of their environment and 12) have flexible attitudes.

Our mentoring programs and services encourage students to improve grades and behavior. It requires students to establish attainable academic and behavioral goals, which we recognize as they are accomplished through the following: a. Decrease in disruptive behavior (e.g., reduced detentions suspensions, behavioral interventions, or involvement in the juvenile justice system); and b. Improvement in soft skills, life skills, prosocial behavior, and/or positive youth development.

All of the aforementioned skills and behaviors teach youth participants how to excel.

The program staff will be responsible for overall evaluation design, development of measurement tools, tabulation, and summaries, and collecting the evaluation data from mentors and their parents/guardians. Program staff will collect mentee evaluation data at the beginning and end of the program cycle. In addition, staff will create surveys for this project. The surveys will consist of both qualitative and quantitative items. Upon completion of mentoring sessions, participants will complete the surveys. Confidential surveys will be mailed to mentees and their parents/guardians to be returned directly to SHIELD. Data will be tabulated, evaluated, and compiled into reports at the end of each quarter for those reporting that quarter. SHIELD staff will meet to review the data and make program modifications accordingly. Program staff will also send out surveys at the beginning and end of each grading period to verify each student's start GPA and the end GPA of the grading period.

The SHIELD Mentor program aims to bridge this gap by providing caring adults for young people. SHIELD recruits community volunteers passionate about serving Greensboro's youth. It matches them with young people who need guidance in determining their future and how to get there. In addition to giving young people a trusted adult to whom they can turn for advice, the SHIELD Mentor Program equips students with leadership skills such as goal setting, effective decision making, and effective social change. The relationships and leadership skills young people develop while in the program give them the tools they need to succeed in school, careers, and life.

The SHIELD Mentor Program expands our partnerships and support base to host programs at schools/universities, recreation centers, libraries, local organizations, or similar venues to provide larger groups of participating youth (mentees) with access to technology, meeting space, and mentoring support.

We enhance strategies through partnerships with community-based agencies. We are working with Guilford County Schools, the UNCG Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships, North Carolina Families United, and United Way Mentoring Matters Hub to positively impact young people's lives. We also work strongly with UNCG’s Office of Leadership and Service-Learning and the Campus of A&T State University to recruit volunteer mentors.