THE GOAL
​The goal of the Youth Mentoring Program is to connect newcomer students with learning communities which help students: achieve their own academic, language and social-emotional goals, nurture a growth mindset, and build confidence in their skills, abilities and identities. Youth mentors are important learning community members; they are academic tutors, role models and friendly community connections. Re:Source Cleveland believes these connections significantly bolster student development. The relationships between students and mentors not only result in increased confidence in English language skills but also increased comfort in new communities.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Our Learning Lab communities cultivate social connections and empower students to pursue their academic and social-emotional learning goals within a safe and supportive environment. Meanwhile, our family engagement team partners with parents outside the Learning Lab to achieve household objectives that contribute to their children's overall wellbeing.
HOW IT WORKS
Each school year, YMP students are assigned to specific learning communities composed of peers, volunteer mentors and program staff. Students attend twice weekly mentoring sessions with their learning community at Re:Source’s Learning Lab on the west side of Cleveland.
Typical Learning Lab sessions include community building circles, one-on-one academic mentoring time, a small group enrichment activity (e.g. SEL, arts) and a physical recreation “brain break.” Full group workshops and field trips occur on occasion throughout the academic year. Over the summer, students have the opportunity to participate in activities such as a student-planned field trip series and English Language Learning Club.
Students are invited to participate in the Youth Mentoring Program from 4th through 8th grade, after which they are referred to our Teen Response program. ​This year, the program will serve at least 40 students in partnership with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.​
1:1 MENTORING & GROUP ACTIVITIES
Mentoring session activities are structured according to student needs. Students rotate between a “1:1 Academic Mentoring Station,” where volunteer mentors are situated, and a “Small Group Enrichment Station,” led by staff. All learning community participants come together for community circles, physical recreation time and occasional group workshops.
In the 1:1 Academic Mentoring Station, volunteer mentors are matched with specific students with whom they work alongside consistently each week. As mentors build relationships with their students, they deepen their understanding of unique student interests, needs, and support priorities. Re:Source Cleveland staff assist by linking mentors with parents and teachers, aiding mentor-student pairs in establishing learning goals, and supplying learning resources aligned with these goals throughout the academic year.
PROACTIVE FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Re:Source Cleveland works closely at the family level, assigning a Family Liaison to each of the client households. Liaisons coordinate communication between families, mentors, schools, and wraparound service providers. In addition to serving youth, the program strives to strengthen parent’s roles as partners in their children’s learning through direct guided practice and the development of informational content in culturally and linguistically accessible ways.
1:1
MENTORING SUPPORT
5
ACADEMIC YEARS OF SUPPORT
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*Mentor Volunteer
commitment is 1 year
Over 40
STUDENTS SERVED
4 hours
PER WEEK
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OUTCOMES
The benefits to participating in the Youth Mentoring program are innumerable.
Newcomer students gain confidence academically and socially. Volunteer mentors form lasting relationships with newcomer students, and get a window into the cultural practices and rich customs of families from countries as far as Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Syria, and others. Our communities become interconnected through cross-cultural understanding and a sense of social responsibility. The ultimate benefit of this program is the relationships which are built within it and the growth that those relationships foster amongst all learning community participants.
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OUR STUDENTS
come from all over the globe and speak over 15 different languages combined.
Many of the newcomer families we work with have crossed many borders: fleeing their country of origin as a teenager, starting a family of their own in refugee camps of a neighboring country, and finding resettlement in a place called Cleveland, Ohio a decade or more after leaving home. Many of the children enrolled in our program have never seen their parents' homeland, though their Cleveland homes are alive with the sounds and smells of another place. These students are eager to understand their English speaking peers, to experience success at school, to make friends, and to simply fit in. Their journey forward continues here in Cleveland. Upon arrival in the United States students who have had limited academic instruction in their native country are often placed in school systems without the necessary support. Unrealistic academic expectations are compounded by a gap in family support due to language, cultural, and educational barriers. Magnifying these challenges are the cultural and social hurdles students come across adjusting to life in the United States. In the spring of 2010, in response to a needs assessment of newcomer students and their families, Re:Source Cleveland initiated its Youth Mentoring Program
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The Youth Mentoring Program supports children in grades 4 through 8, often enrolling multiple siblings within a single family. Students are referred to Youth Mentoring services annually through existing client and community connections at the Re:Source Cleveland, as well as through the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Multilingual Multicultural Education Office.
OUR MENTORS
are business managers, chemists, school teachers, nurses, bartenders, retirees, college students, and rocket scientists.
All share a commitment to making a difference in the life of a young person by giving a piece of their time every week to build a connection that transcends boundaries of age, language, and culture.
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Volunteers undergo screening and receive training and support from Re:Source Cleveland staff before and throughout their mentoring assignment. Mentors have the opportunity to connect with one another at various special events and socials hosted by Re:Source Cleveland over the course of the year. Mentors serving children in the same family often maintain a connection with one another to share tips, family updates and provide social and emotional support. As a youth mentor, you will join a group of fearlessly dedicated volunteers working to make Cleveland a better place for all.