Mentoring is a signature program for Communities In Schools. We engage volunteers from local communities who are interested and will commit to meeting with one student or a small group of students in their school location, once weekly for 30-45 minutes. We perform a background check on all volunteers who work with students directly. We then provide a short training and match the volunteer with a student or small group. Local school CIS staff makes the matches with students referred by their teacher, counselor, or an administrator. Parents can also request a mentor for their child.
Often these meetings occur during the students’ lunchtime and/or after school hours. In many cases, these sessions begin as conversations and expand to include tutoring or other academic assistance as the school requests and depending upon volunteer comfort level. There are no qualifications to be a mentor, just a person of any age who is willing to give of his/her time to spend with a student who will benefit from another trusted adult relationship.
The “Buddy” program features high school students who mentor students and/or assist classroom teachers weekly at a feeder elementary school.
See our mentoring brochure and volunteer forms linked below or call us to hear more about this highly rewarding program.