Mentorship Program
What’s the Mentorship Program?
The goal of the Youth and Young Adult Mentorship Program is to offer young people the opportunity to connect with a trained mentor who will be able to provide them with valuable support at critical points
in their lives. As matches are virtual, mentors and mentees will be able to communicate by phone, text, email, FaceTime or social media.
The Mentorship Program strives to:
- Support youth in making informed decisions about their life.
- Encourage and help prepare youth for the challenges they face.
- Professional and Career Mentorship
Who are the Mentors?
All potential mentors go through a selection and training process, which includes:
- Submitting an application form
- Participating in an interview
- Providing references
- Participating in the Mentorship Training Program
- Attending ongoing training
- Accessing ongoing social work support
Participating in the Mentorship Program is an opportunity to form a trusting relationship with a nonjudgmental, encouraging adult who you can talk to, try new activities with, and go to for advice.
Our mentors help you realize your strengths, work towards your goals, and build your confidence and independence. Your mentor will be a supportive, caring, and stable role model, advocate, and friend, who can help you with making positive choices and changes.
Program Activities:
- Self-directed, community-based activities that are fun, positive, and healthy. Some examples are arts and culture outings, sports and recreation, social, professional development and educational activities.
- Group activities hosted by staff for program participants, including activities such as canoeing, snowshoeing, cooking classes.
- Tickets to events in the community are occasionally donated to the program and passed on to mentors and their youth. For example: tickets to sporting events, concerts, theatre, lectures movies, the aquarium, museums, art galleries, workplace shadowing, or networking events!
- Ongoing support, assistance, advocacy, and guidance from YA Portal’s Mentorship Program staff.
How To Get Involved
- The Mentorship Program is great for youth and young adults who want to connect with a role model for advice and support, to work towards their goals, or towards positive change in their lives.
- Program staff work with both mentors and youth to help them build and maintain a positive relationship throughout the mentorship.
- Volunteer mentors are thoroughly screened and trained before being matched with youth, and throughout the mentorship. Trainings cover topics such as life skills coaching, professional and career advice, conflict resolution, mental health, healthy boundaries, cultural awareness, and other important areas that may impact youth.
- Youth and mentors are matched based on need, interests, and overall fit.
- If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please fill out the Mentorship Volunteer Application. Please send completed applications to YA Portal’s Mentorship Program Manager at info@yaportal.org
- Volunteer mentor applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.