Main phone: VA health connect: Mental health clinic: Refill and track your prescriptions. Send a secure message to your health care team. Schedule and manage health appointments.
Download your VA medical records Blue Button. All mentors should be required to participate in a training before they are matched up with a young person, ideally lasting a minimum of two hours. This training should help mentors understand their role and how to engage in a safe mentoring relationship. Programs should provide ongoing support and monitoring to matches for the duration of the program.
Staff should also be available any time you have concerns or questions. Ideally, programs will have numerous policies in place to promote child safety.
Some of these policies may include guidance on mandatory reporting of child safety issues, inappropriate behaviors, program requirements, social media and image usage, overnight visits and out-of-town travel, confidentiality, transportation, among others. There are also steps you can take to ensure your child remains safe while engaged in a mentoring relationship. Mentoring can help young people improve their grades and attitudes about school.
Mentoring may also help students improve their classroom behavior, reduce absences, and enhance career prospects. And having a mentor can also help things go more smoothly at home as the youth experiences more successes and becomes more confident. Nationally, 18 percent of all volunteers— Mentors are likely to be working full-time, taking time from their workday to volunteer.
For some programs, that means that mentors may come from specific industries, such as STEM science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Some programs may recruit mentors will specific lived experiences, such as adults who were formerly involved in the foster care system. The majority of mentoring programs recruit mentors from all backgrounds and experiences. If you are looking for a mentor with a specific background or set of experiences for your child, you can let the mentoring program know upon enrolling your child.
Mentoring is a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the mentee. A mentor can become a friend who can provide opportunities for gaining new skills and experiences that will help your child learn, grow and be successful.
All children have the potential to succeed in life and can benefit from the demonstrated effects of mentoring, some of which include:. Mentoring relationships are a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Many mentors say that the rewards they gain are as substantial as those for their mentees, and that mentoring has enabled them to:. Above all, a good mentor is willing to take the time to get to know their mentee, to learn new things that are important to the young person, and even to be changed by their relationship.
Simply put, mentoring benefits everyone. In Virginia, a majority of mentoring programs work with young people who come from underserved communities that are systemically disadvantaged by laws, policies, and practices that shape disparities in opportunities and access in the United States across race, gender, class, and other identities. Research shows that having a mentor can make a powerful difference for youth who are impacted by systemic disadvantage, especially when the mentor shares the same gender and race as the young person.
Before becoming a mentor, there are a few things to understand about the role of mentoring. Most of us have had a teacher, supervisor, or coach who has been a mentor to us and made a positive difference in our lives. Those people wore many hats, acting as delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. Mentors assume these different roles during the course of a relationship, and share some basic qualities:.
When you join a mentoring program—and before you are matched with a young person—you will receive intensive training aimed at helping you understand and prepare for your role and responsibilities. That training and support should address the majority of your concerns. Committing to mentor a youth comes with a lot of responsibility and may feel like brand new territory. Try thinking about your background; you may have already been a mentor in informal situations. Maybe you helped a niece or nephew with schoolwork or listened to a youngster who thought nobody cared.
In each instance, you were acting as a mentor. By joining a mentoring program, you are simply formalizing your commitment to help guide a young person. At the same time, you get the benefit of comprehensive training and ongoing support.
In general, being a mentor does not require any special skills. In fact, you probably already have what it takes! The most effective mentors are those who are patient, committed, and passionate about offering extra support to a young person. Successful mentors are consistent and caring, and help their mentees problem solve, practice good communication, and explore new experiences and ideas. Additionally, some programs may recruit mentors with specific lived experiences, such as former involvement in the foster care system.
Many mentoring organizations require that volunteers commit to the program for one year, usually for about an hour per week. Research demonstrates that a longer-term commitment provides the most benefits to the young person.
That said, most mentoring programs will work with volunteers to find the most convenient time for mentor-mentee meetings. Schedule and time commitment also depends on the type of program that you volunteer with.
For example, school-based programs meet at the school, during the school day, while site- or community-based programs may meet at a community center after school or on the weekends. Tiffany has over 12 years of experience in community development and youth and family programming. She has a passion and commitment to social justice, education, and working with individuals and families through a trauma informed care lens.
In her role, Tiffany facilitates educational programs on diversity and inclusion for schools in the Greater Richmond area, including retreats, forums, professional development, and customized workshops. Tiffany works full-time as a Behavioral Specialist for Richmond City Public Schools focusing on social emotional learning, restorative justice practices, and counseling for youth.
Alexandra found a passion for volunteering early and has volunteered with multiple organizations that focus on an array of different causes. Cailey hopes to use the skills she will develop as a VISTA in a future career in nonprofit work and social change.
A deep believer in service that disrupts cyclical inequalities, Cailey is thrilled to work alongside Casa Ch irilagua to support social safety nets for the predominantly Central American community Casa serves. Allyson F. Roberts has over 16 years of experience working in the field of youth mentoring. She worked with the Virginia Community College System for nearly 8 years, spending most of that time as the Assistant Director and Mentoring Coordinator for the Great Expectations program.
Great Expectations is a program for students who have aged out of foster care with the purpose of providing support, a positive example, and encouragement to the foster care students to continue in school. The program works toward ensuring that every former foster youth in Virginia has a post-secondary credential leading to a family sustaining wage.
Prior to this position, Allyson was the Program Director for Virginia Mentoring Partnership now MENTOR Virginia , a nonprofit organization that helps new and existing mentoring programs grow their quality and impact based on the Elements of Effective Practice, and trains volunteers to be qualified mentors.
Allyson was with Virginia Mentoring Partnership for 8 years, first as a trainer and then as the Program Director. She also has worked as a mental health counselor for adults in a hospital setting where she specialized in group work and individual counseling.
My goal for this year is to develop and implement a successful mentoring program for children that we serve at ForKids. Ideally, we will have quality mentors that can enhance and build a relationship of support and friendship, while exploring new opportunities with their mentees. A native of Northern Virginia and the product of immigrants, the importance of education and public service was engrained in her at a young age.
Thus, Arya could not think of anything more worthwhile than AmeriCorps service in her beloved second home of Richmond, Virginia. In addition to adjusting to virtual learning, Arya hopes to curate a successful model of virtual mentoring for underrepresented and marginalized youths in the school district. Arya proudly graduated from the University of Richmond in with a B.
During her service she will be working with three different mentor programs within the college. Each one focuses on a different student demographic group and their needs. The goal of each program is to promote and enhance their academic experience while they are at Germanna. Police were called to the block of Gilmer Street around p.
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Around p. At the scene, police found a victim who died from their injuries. Henrico Police are investigating a double shooting that left two men injured late Monday night. Police on scene tell NBC12 that investigators will look at footage from inside a convenience store nearby as they try to determine what led up to this shooting. Read full article. More content below. Donald Trump. In this article:. Story continues. Read more. Yahoo News Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions.
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