Inspire a young Aboriginal girl through the YWCA's Aboriginal Mentorship Program
Did you know that in British Columbia the Aboriginal graduation rate is 49% compared with the non-Aboriginal rate of 83%? Be part of the solution: help make a difference in the lives of these young women by becoming a mentor and providing support for teens in high school. Find out the benefits of being a mentor.
The YWCA’s Aboriginal Mentorship Program encourages healthy lifestyle choices in young Aboriginal girls through a one-to-one mentoring relationship with a positive role model.
We are looking for Aboriginal young women aged 19+ who:
- Have an outgoing personality, positive attitude, healthy lifestyle and a strong belief in education
- Enjoy working with youth and understand the challenges facing urban Aboriginal teen girls
- Are reliable and able to commit to meeting with a mentee twice a month over a one-year period
Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to share your knowledge, skills and experience and help shape the life of a young woman in your community.
- How does the program work?
- Who are the mentors?
- Who are the mentees?
- How can I get involved?
- Download the application form
All you need to do is make a minimum commitment of one school year and arrange to meet with your mentee for a few hours twice a month. You and your mentee are matched up based on common interests and personality. As a mentor and mentee pair, you can plan your meetings based on your schedules and interests. You will engage in a variety of recreational, social, cultural or educational activities and enjoy the special friendship while being a positive influence on the development and growth of a teen girl in your community.
The program coordinator from the YWCA, in collaboration with the high school liaison workers, will work closely with you to provide the support you need. The program will also provide transit tickets as well as some financial support to keep the cost of outings down (e.g., discounts and complimentary tickets for certain activities). There will also be free monthly social events and workshops as optional activities. This will give you and your mentee the opportunity to meet with other women and youth in the program.
Our volunteers are young Aboriginal women who are dedicated to helping to empower teen girls. Mentors recognize the unique position they occupy in their mentees’ lives, as a positive adult influence, outside of the parent or peer relationship. A mentor is an adult role model who perhaps has had similar life experiences as her mentee and is today living a balanced and healthy lifestyle. By sharing their own experiences, mentors are able to act as guides for teenage girls who, in the first few years of high school, are in need of a healthy role model.
The valuable friendship and bond that develops between you and your mentee can truly transform her path and development.
- Be a positive adult role mode for a teen girl
- Act as an alternative confidante (in addition to a parent or a peer)
- Share your experiences and insights with your mentee
- Inspire your mentee to pursue her education/career goals
- Help your mentee expand her horizons
- Contribute and connect with your community in a direct and meaningful way
- Learn leadership skills
- Gain experience working with youth and build your resume
Mentees are Aboriginal teenage girls from high schools across Vancouver. They are enthusiastic girls looking to learn more from someone within their community. Part of this program’s purpose is to encourage and support Aboriginal high school students through to graduation—the mentee/mentor relationship provides the mentees with a chance to glimpse what life outside of high school can look like.
To become a mentor you will need to:
- Submit an application form and send it back to the program coordinator by Oct. 9 2009
- Provide three references
- Complete a criminal record check
- Be interviewed by the program coordinator
- Attend one of the orientation/training sessions on October 17 or November 7, 2009
For an application form click here.
For more iinformation on the YWCA Aboriginal Mentorship Program and on becoming a mentee, please contact program coordinator Anna Soole. Anna is a Métis with years of experience facilitating the Aboriginal Youth Mentorship program at YouthCO AIDS Society.
Contact
Anna Soole
Program Coordinator
YWCA Vancouver
535 Hornby Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 2E8
tel 604 895 5798
fax 604 684 9171
asoole@ywcavan.org
