I volunteer and sit on the Neighborhood Accountability Boards as a community member. This is a diversion program for youth to make amends for their crime by addressing what harm was done, who was harmed, and how to repair the harm. If the youth completes this program they will not have a criminal record and will have repaired harm to the victim, themselves, and the community. I love this kind of volunteer work because it is working with youth and having a direct impact on the direction of their lives. The program is through the Lee County Government Department of Human Services. See the links below for more information on Neighborhood Accountability Boards and how you can become a volunteer!
http://dhs.lee-county.com/AP_Accountability_Boards_T24_R0.htm
http://dhs.lee-county.com/AP_Accountability_Boards_T24_R4.htm
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
FAQ About Mentoring
Q: What is mentoring?
A: Mentoring is about inspiring youth to be their greatest self through adult friendship and encouragement. Typically, mentor and mentees spend time together and call or e-mail each other to keep in touch. Usually the minimum commitment is six months to a year.
Q: Why do kids need mentors?
A: All kids need caring adults in their lives. Mentors have proven leadership track records, strong listening skills, and a willingness to share their unique experiences. Some teens do not have stable family lives making them more vulnerable to negative influences. Other teens simply need extra attention or a boost to their self-esteem. Others need more opportunities to experience positive recreational activities.
Q: Why do mentors want to do this?
A: Many mentors have been through challenging times in their lives and may have had a mentor growing up. Mentoring provides a way to "pass it on." Mentors are able to share their experiences and make a difference in a child's life.
Q: Does mentoring work?
A: Yes! Research consistently shows that kids benefit from relationships with caring adults. Studies show that kids with mentors are less likely to begin using illegal drugs and alcohol, less likely to skip school, less likely to engage in school violence, and are more likely to have improved peer and family relationships.
Q: What does mentoring offer kids?
A: Mentors share with their mentees opportunities and information about career options and exposure to the world of work. Some share uplifting and encouraging stories while others may may tell cautionary tales of lessons learned. Through mentors, teens have the opportunity to develop social, civic, team, and leadership skills. Most importantly, they have access to a person who truly cares about them. Hopefully they will build a strong relationship that will last long into the future.
A: Mentoring is about inspiring youth to be their greatest self through adult friendship and encouragement. Typically, mentor and mentees spend time together and call or e-mail each other to keep in touch. Usually the minimum commitment is six months to a year.
Q: Why do kids need mentors?
A: All kids need caring adults in their lives. Mentors have proven leadership track records, strong listening skills, and a willingness to share their unique experiences. Some teens do not have stable family lives making them more vulnerable to negative influences. Other teens simply need extra attention or a boost to their self-esteem. Others need more opportunities to experience positive recreational activities.
Q: Why do mentors want to do this?
A: Many mentors have been through challenging times in their lives and may have had a mentor growing up. Mentoring provides a way to "pass it on." Mentors are able to share their experiences and make a difference in a child's life.
Q: Does mentoring work?
A: Yes! Research consistently shows that kids benefit from relationships with caring adults. Studies show that kids with mentors are less likely to begin using illegal drugs and alcohol, less likely to skip school, less likely to engage in school violence, and are more likely to have improved peer and family relationships.
Q: What does mentoring offer kids?
A: Mentors share with their mentees opportunities and information about career options and exposure to the world of work. Some share uplifting and encouraging stories while others may may tell cautionary tales of lessons learned. Through mentors, teens have the opportunity to develop social, civic, team, and leadership skills. Most importantly, they have access to a person who truly cares about them. Hopefully they will build a strong relationship that will last long into the future.
Find a Need, Then Get Involved
Get Involved in Mentoring Children
Every single child should know that someone believes in them.
I have worked with children involved in the dependency system for over five years. I first started at a teen maternity home here in Estero, and then moved into administration with the State and then when it privatized. The last two years I have been involved in a mentoring program I started for teenagers in the foster care system called Connected by Peers. Foster children often feel alone. Trained mentors provide the teens with someone that has been through similar experiences and who can identify with their circumstances. The teens have someone that is interested in them and wants them to succeed. The possibilities are limitless when you know that what you do makes a difference and that someone cares.
Getting involved takes caring and commitment on your part but the results are well worth it!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
My First Volunteering Experiences as a Child and Teen
You can start volunteering, even as a child, in some circumstances. I have been volunteering most of my life. I started when I was 8 years old. My family and I were living in Hong Kong because my dad's job transferred him there for 3 years. Refugees were still fleeing from Vietnam in search of a better life. They would pack as many people in very rickety and unsafe boats and many ended up on the beaches of Hong Kong. There they lived in refugee camps. My mother would volunteer there and would bring me and my sister along. While she worked with the mothers, we would read to the children and entertain them. That experience, small though it was, started my life long love of giving back.
When I was older and back in the United States, we lived in Humble, TX. I volunteered at the local hospital as a candystriper bringing flowers and books to the patients. As a teenager that helped me stay centered on others whose situations are worse than mine.
Teenagers can volunteer as young as 13 years old. See this link for more information:
http://www.volunteerlee.org/monthlyprojects.html
When I was older and back in the United States, we lived in Humble, TX. I volunteered at the local hospital as a candystriper bringing flowers and books to the patients. As a teenager that helped me stay centered on others whose situations are worse than mine.
Teenagers can volunteer as young as 13 years old. See this link for more information:
http://www.volunteerlee.org/monthlyprojects.html
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