Scrapbooks... Working on a scrapbook and talking with a student is an idea that works well. At the end of the year, your mentee will be pleased with the scrapbook you give him/her. You can end the mentoring year by looking at the scrapbook together and talking about the fun times you had as you worked together creating it. The scrapbook idea is found in the booklet “My Mentor and Me” for the elementary school years. It contains 36 activities for mentors and mentees. If you are looking for additional ideas, the booklet can be ordered at www.mentorconsultinggroup.com or by clicking on “Mentoring Resources” at the top of the page. The series of books titled “My Mentor and Me” was written by Dr. Susan Weinberger, president of Mentor Consulting Group. She has given permission for her materials to be shared. A Scrapbook of Memories... Scrapbooks help us remember our fondest memories long after we’ve made them. Why not capture your year together. Begin a scrapbook that will last throughout the year. Buy a disposable camera, use your own, or use the school’s camera if they have one. Collect photos, drawings, poems, and trinkets. Let your mentee take his/her own photos with a disposable camera. Add all items and photos to the scrapbook. Write captions together underneath the photos and the dates when they were taken. Have your mentee write a caption describing the things, people, and events that have been photographed. Add colorful stickers around the photos. At the end of the year, give the completed scrapbook to your mentee to keep as a memory of your time together. Note... AIMS will be adding resources and ideas to this site. Please consider sharing your ideas and activities on line with other mentors. E-mail them to Ken

Resource Links...

The mentor program in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, has been in existence for nearly twenty years. The AIMS mentor program is modeled after the Chippewa Falls initiative. Go to the home page and click on “District” at the top of the page. Under “District” the Chippewa Falls Mentor program is listed under “District.” You will find many answers to questions you might have. Their program is clearly stated including their mission statement and goals for the students. They also have a nice link to the National Mentor web site that gives information on online mentor training.

This is one of the most comprehensive and widely used sites in the field of mentoring. This web site has become a recognized leader in the field of mentoring. It offers an online mentor training program, shares mentor stories each month, provides information about mentoring in various states, and provides links that are useful. There is one section on the web site that gives valuable research information regarding the benefits the student receives as a result of having a caring mentor.

Mentor Consulting Group is dedicated to creating effective programming and helping their clients build the ideal mentoring programs to meet their community’s needs.” In 1983, Dr. Susan Weinberger developed a school-based mentoring program from a well-established school-business partnership in Norwalk, Connecticut. In the following years, Dr. Weinberger has become a nationally known spokesperson on mentoring and has shared her ideas at hundreds of mentor seminars. She has helped several communities begin mentor programs. Dr. Weinberger has been recognized many times for her mentor leadership. This web site provides a wealth of mentor information from her twenty plus years of working with school-based mentoring. One section on her web site gives recent tips and answers on mentoring. Another section is titled “The 16 Steps to Effective Youth Mentoring.” Dr. Weinberger has just authored a book entitled Mentoring A Movement: My Personal Journey. It outlines her personal journey in the mentoring field and offers many excellent insights on mentoring programs that work. Dr. Weinberger has also authored three activity books with these titles: My Mentor and Me – The High School Years, The Middle School Years, and The Elementary School Years. Each of these books provides 36 possible activities for mentors and mentees. All the books mentioned can be purchased through this web site. If you ever have a chance to hear Dr. Weinberger, please don’t miss the opportunity.

Search Institute has identified 40 building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. These building blocks deal with support of the child, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competence, and positive identity. Mentoring provides the child with many experiences that will help young people cope with the stresses of growing up. Several mentor programs use the “40 Developmental Assets” as a basis for their mentor program. Caring and trustworthy adults do make a difference in the lives of young people. Check out the resources that are available from Search Institute.

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