Starting the year on the right foot. or left. whichever you prefer.

Wondering how to start this next year? Here are a few ideas to help:

• If your mentee is new to the school, talk about what is different and what is the same. Share your own experiences with new schools and settings.
• Ask your mentee what she is looking forward to most during the school year and to describe the one thing she most wants to accomplish. Tell her what you want to accomplish during the same period.
• Investigate new things that will be happening in your community and discuss how they will affect each of you.
• Create an imaginary time capsule. What would each of you want future generations to know? Pick a place where you would bury it and decide when it should be opened.
• Fly a kite in the schoolyard.
• Help your mentee search the Internet for an after-school job.
• Initiate a discussion about dream vacations. Describe your dream vacation and ask your student to do the same.
• If you like to plan ahead, invite your mentee to join in making holiday gifts for friends and relatives.
• Read with and to your student. (Literacy is more than just being able to read and write. It is the ability to understand and communicate information and ideas by others and to others clearly and to form thoughts using reason and analysis.)
• Read for information. Read maps, graphs, charts and recipes together. Learning how to read a bus schedule is an important skill in life.
• If your student is older, try sharing more mature reading materials like newspapers, magazines and chapter books. Reading aloud increases your student’s listening comprehension and vocabulary. Ask your student’s teacher or school librarian to suggest books and magazines that are appropriate for your student’s age group.

July Mentor of the Month

David Sheehan

David discovered the Mentor Program in 2006 and realized that this was a perfect way for him to give back to the community and to a child in need. Although he had heard of the program several times before, he finally felt ready to make the time out of his extremely busy schedule. With years of experience coaching youth sports and raising his own teenage son, David knew that he had so much knowledge to share and was eager to start working with any child who needed help and guidance.

David was matched with a sweet and sensitive 6th grade boy struggling with a volatile home life, low self-esteem, poor social skills, and a bad attitude about school. David realized that what his new mentee really needed was just some stability and a friend that he could talk to about anything. For the first year they met every Friday at school and spent half the time going over schoolwork and the other half sharing a fun activity. His mentee showed a natural talent for art, so they would often draw together and share stories from their own lives. Over the year their friendship grew; every hour they spent together seemed to fly by and they always looked forward to the next week. Therefore, they decided to start spending more time outside of school. They tried different sports, visited museums, rode bikes along the beach, and visited places like the zoo where his mentee could relax and just be a kid.

Mentee's winning submission for the 2008 art contest

Now, though David works out of town during the week and is only home on the weekends, he always makes sure to see his mentee. David’s commitment to his mentee has made a clear difference. Within the first year his mentee’s self-esteem shot up and he told their case manager that David “makes me happy”. His social skills also improved and David commented on the how much more conscientious he was when communicating with him and other people. Furthermore, his mentee’s attitude about school changed dramatically because he finally had someone in his life who was a stable, positive influence who pushed him to succeed. Over the years their bond has strengthened and David’s mentee has continued to grow and mature with his constant support and guidance. Now that he is in high school and they have been matched for over four years they both consider their relationship very special and know that it has changed them both for the better.

June Mentor of the Month

Amy Gillespie
We received a referral for a young 6th grade girl in the fall of 2009 when a teacher recognized the impact a difficult family situation was having on this girl's social and academic performance. Just a few months later, this girl was paired with her new mentor, Amy. Amy, a young mother and preschool teacher studying psychology at UCSB Graduate School, looked forward to giving a mentee the emotional and academic support she needed. The match meeting was full of shy smiles and anticipation for the great experiences they knew would come in their time together. They created three goals together: to read together, practice her basketball shots, and learn new skills, like cooking.

That was just over one year ago and in their time together they have accomplished their goals...and so much more. In the beginning they spent time getting to know each other, playing games, and working on relatively simple tasks like making sure to turn in homework on time. As her mentee started trying harder in school, Amy took her to get a library card so they could work on her reading together. Amy also encouraged her to sign up for basketball with the Police Activities League and she loved it.

When her mentee struggled with the rigors of Junior High, Amy searched to find her free tutoring and made sure her mentee knew that she was always there for her no matter what. Under the care of such a dedicated mentor this young girl has truly blossomed; now she is socializing with greater confidence and focusing on academics like never before. Amy has made such a positive impact on her mentee in just one year and we know there are greater things to come. Thank you for your dedication to bettering the life of your mentee, Amy. Congratulations on being named our June Mentor of the Month!

May Mentor of the Month

Juanita Block 
Juanita has met with her mentee since May 2010. When they first met, her mentee had low self-esteem and was very shy.

Since that time, Juanita has engaged her in many opportunities and encouraged her to develop strong and meaningful friendships. She brought her to the Mentor Program Career Event, which encouraged her mentee to step out of her comfort zone and speak with adults who she didn’t know.

Juanita’s mentee experienced difficulty with some kids at her school, so Juanita turned to the Program for help and attended a training on bullying. Through that, she was able to gain a better understanding of how she could be a support system for her mentee.

Juanita now sees her mentee making better decisions, finding strength within herself to hang out with positive influences. This has helped her develop better study habits, priorities, and as a result, better grades.

Thank you so much, Juanita, for being the support system your mentee didn't have and for constantly encouraging her to find strength in herself to make it through to brighter days.

Mentor Training: Talking with Your Mentee about Drugs & Alcohol

Wednesday, May 18th
5:30 to 6:30 pm
1111 Garden Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
RSVP to your case manager
by Monday, May 16th

Selena Rockwell is the Coordinator of the Youth Service Specialist (YSS) program at CADA. The YSS work with the youth at the local junior high and high schools to provide them with an all-inclusive support system consisting of confidential counseling, parent and teacher conferences, prevention education, and organizing sober events and activities.

Selena has many years of experience working with teens as both a YSS herself and as a mentor, and will join us for this training to talk with us about how we can approach the topic with our mentees in a non-judgmental, non-confrontational way. We will gain a better understanding of what the pressure is like today, what new drugs are out there, how accessible they are to our youth, and how we can be prepared to discuss them.

If you have questions you would like to submit for Selena ahead of time, please inform your case manager.

Light snacks and refreshments will be available courtesy of the Mentor Program.

April Mentor of the Month

Mark Golden
Mark and his mentee have been a pair since September of 2009. You are likely to see them all around town, but are most likely to run into them at a UCSB Men's soccer game...their favorite sport to watch together.

Mark makes sure to communicate with his mentee's teacher to be on top of assignments and his grades. Together they have improved his grades to almost all A's. Mark is insistent on making sure his mentee completes and understands his homework, especially in math and science, which have always been of interest to his mentee. Mark makes sure that his mentee is aware of the importance of education, both in school, and out in the world. 

He has exposed him to a lot of different activities to keep his mentee's eyes open to the wealth of opportunities available to him if he puts in a little effort.

It has been fun to see Mark's mentoring relationship develop over the past year and a half. Mark's mentee is now excited about school and about the years ahead of him, and we are all looking forward to his future as well.

Thank you, Mark, for all that you do with your mentee! We are all so fortunate to have you as a volunteer with our program!

CPK FUNdraiser Day!

Eat at CPK in Paseo Nuevo on Tuesday, April 26th!! They're open from 11 am to 10 pm!

You have to bring in the flyer below, so please don't forget it!!

20% of your bill will go to help fund the Mentor Program.

Invite EVERYONE you know and forward them this link, or email them the flyer.

Help us provide more youth with a moment to look forward to every week...the moment they first see their mentor's smile :)