What is a mentor? A mentor is someone who is a role model, a guide, a confidant, and an objective listener. Mentoring another person means taking the initiative in developing a relationship with someone, whereby you, as the mentor, provide leadership, guidance, friendship and a listening non-judgmental ear. Studies have shown that children who have mentors are more likely to grow into healthy, productive, and successful adults than children who do not have mentors.

Are you someone who had the good fortune to have experienced informal mentoring relationships in your life? Did a teacher, aunt or uncle, or colleague reach out their hand to share their time, wisdom, and/or advice with you as you moved through your life?

Today, formalized mentoring programs have been created to fill the gap for those children who desire to have an extra adult guide/role model in their life. Mentoring offers adults a satisfying avenue to give back and share themselves with the youth in their communities. Here in Central Vermont, Girls/Boyz First!! community-based and school-based mentoring programs exist to provide youth, ages 10-14, and adults in Montpelier and the Washington Central School District, with opportunities to experience a mentoring relationship. Girls/Boyz First!!, a collaborative project of Community Connections and the Central Vermont New Directions Coalition, currently has 18 mentoring pairs. Mentors and youth meet weekly over the course of a year and spend their time getting to know one another while participating in any number of activities that are low or no cost. Mentors receive training and on-going support and are carefully matched with youth.

At present there is a waiting list of children who are interested in having a mentor. If you have a minimum of an hour a week and think that you would enjoy becoming a mentor, please call Wendy Farber, Girls/Boyz First!! community-based coordinator, at 229-4798, or Ivy Zeller, school-based coordinator at 223-4949.

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