Youth Mentoring Connection

Tony LoRe founded Youth Mentoring Connection (YMC) to promote his passion: getting quality adult role models into the lives of "at-risk" youth. Specializing in site-based mentoring (school site and work site), Tony was recently referred to in the national publication "Campus Safety Journal" as "mentor to the mentors". YMC currently operates programs at HBO, Warner Bros., State Farm, A Place Called Home Youth Center, and Orange County Probation Department. In addition Tony offers technical assistance to organizations in California looking to start or improve mentoring programs. This assistance is conducted under the auspices of the State of California (general contractor: Evaluation Management and Training Group) and in cooperation with the Governor's Mentor Partnership. Tony is the author of "Two Minute Mentor Tips", published twice each month, and circulated nationally, to help mentors deal with common issues they face with their mentees. For a subscription, or for more information on how Youth Mentoring Connection can help your program, contact them at ymc@youthmentoring.org, or phone 323-525-1049.

Cristi Catlin of HBO is Tony's special guest for this session. Cristi has been with Home Box Office since 1990 and currently holds the title of Manager Original Programming. In 1998 Cristi was responsible for spearheading the HBO/LA Mentoring Program. The program, now in its fourth year, has been extremely successful in mentoring at-risk youth from South Central Los Angeles. In December 2000, HBO received the "Mentoring Company of the Year Award" from the Hollywood, Radio and Television Society.

Mentoring has been defined as a long-term and consistent relationship between a young person and an adult in which the adult offers support and guidance. It is particularly valuable for youth who are isolated from adults in their schools, homes, communities, and workplaces.

Mentoring is essential for youth development today because of the 'loss of community' that we face in so many parts of the country:

"Widespread family breakdown, erosion of neighborhood ties, and time demands of parent work have created a situation in which few young people have even one significant close relationship with a non-parental adult before actually reaching adulthood (Steinberg, quoted in NCRVE Research on School-to-Work Transition Programs...)".

The above is especially true for inner-city youth. They face even greater pressures of gangs and violence, teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug use, higher rates of single-parent homes, and the existence of fewer working adults. This program is for organizations interested in helping to respond to this crisis through Workplace Mentoring - bringing youth onto a company site on a regular basis to meet with employees and engage in activities that will help youth grow and develop. In the broad view workplace mentoring is effective because it replaces the positive influence that is removed when community breaks down, while providing a whole host of benefits for the corporation and volunteer employees.

In this workshop we'll explore various models for mentoring in the workplace, focusing primarily on what we at Youth Mentoring Connection have found to be our most effective model: Worksite mentoring, where the students are brought into the workplace for their mentoring experience. We'll look at how worksite mentoring facilitates youth development, exclusive of the actual benefits of learning anything about a particular career. We will also visit the benefits of this model for corporations and the key elements of effective workplace programs. We will use our highly successful program at HBO, Los Angeles as an example of a public/private partnership that is turning kid's lives around through mentoring.

Being in the HBO program has been a great thing in my life, I have met a lot of people with big hearts.

When companies get involved in mentoring the benefits occur on four levels. Of course kids benefit. It is now well documented that mentees are less likely to start using drugs and alcohol; less likely to hit someone; demonstrate improved school attendance and performance; improved self-esteem; improved peer and family relationships; and so on. But, significant benefits are becoming obvious to employees, their companies and the community as well. One study showed that 75% of the employees who became mentors said that mentoring improved their attitude at work. 97% said that their volunteer programs improved employee teamwork, and 88% felt very satisfied working as a mentor.

In addition to the universal benefits of mentoring, the worksite model enhances the benefits of mentoring in the following ways:

Leveraging donation dollars

Directing both a company's grant dollars and its employees' time and talent to the same causes can produce results far greater than either could do on their own.

A recruiting edge

Many companies find that a solid volunteerism program can be an important employee recruitment and retention tool

Community Involvement

Worksite Mentoring is a relatively inexpensive way to make a huge contribution to community

A Stable Commitment

Many worksite mentoring programs have become mainstays within the company. They often allow a company to maintain or even increase its commitment to the community even in lean economic times, when it might not be able to increase its charitable grant dollars. This is because of the leveraging of dollars with employee time, as well as the optional nature of many budget line items.

Teamwork

Programs foster team spirit and allow people to get to know their colleagues outside the workplace.

Develops Leadership

Volunteer opportunities encourage employees to take the lead.

Employee Growth / New skills

Employees are challenged to learn new skills that may help them in their careers. Employees who serve as mentors can develop supervisory skills and learn to work with young people.

Company morale

Programs help increase morale, as the company supports employees striving to make a difference in the lives of youth.

"Thank you Cristi, Rey, Juli and Tony for all your work behind the scenes to make this program possible and so very special. It is one of the things about working at HBO that means the most to me."
- HBO Mentor

Employee Productivity Increases

In the process of determining key workplace learning elements and job-specific skills they want to convey, mentors may find ways to improve their own performance.
The satisfaction mentors feel when working with young people often translates into improved work habits and productivity.

Corporate Image

Programs are often recognized in their communities. PR opportunities abound.

Investment in the Future

We all have a stake in the quality of citizens that our youth become.

Future Employees

Increase the possibility of more qualified entry-level workers

"Whenever employees are engaged in company-sponsored activities, the residual benefit is translated. It is not quantifiable, but the organization has more commitment, which translates to productivity, which translates to success."
- Linda LoRe, CEO, Giorgio Beverly Hills

"It's very easy for employees to work in a vacuum doing their jobs, and this program allowed each of us a chance to share our personal & work experiences with one another as well as with our mentees... I think that closeness that we felt helped in our ability to work and communicate with one another and thus we became a more productive unit."
- Derek Alpert, Rondor Music International

(in addition to those listed above)

Quality of Life (Fun and Fulfillment)

Improves life in the community where employees work and live
Gives added meaning to the workplace

Facilitated Commitment

"We bring the mentees to you!" Employees don't have to leave the workplace. There's no travel time involved, and if the company gives release time for the mentoring, no additional hours at work.
Limited Commitment (most worksite programs are for one school year)

Sense of Team

They are making this difference alongside fellow workers

Personal Satisfaction

Knowing you are making a difference
The knowledge that one is giving back to the community

The most important benefit to a corporation and its employees is the recognition that they can make a difference in the lives of young people.

"It gives employees a chance to feel like they are participating in an outreach program that gives back and does well for the community. Also teaching and caring is a gift you give yourself. My employees learned more about their jobs and themselves by this experience."

(in addition to the many other personal benefits that youth get from all mentoring programs)

First-hand exposure to the workplace

Many youth don't have family members who have professional careers. Mentoring gives them exposure to new jobs
Youth become accustomed to the rules, norms, and expectations of the workplace
Youth learn about job possibilities
Youth acquire career skills

Future Focus

Mentors help mentees develop their vision for the future and formulate future goals. They begin to plan for a future previously unimagined.
Mentors provide career insight and guidance based on personal career experience

Diversity of Social Interaction

Mentees get to meet a variety of adults, along with their own mentor

Structure

Provides a safe feeling of structure that is so often missing in 'at-risk' youth's lives. Programs meet on a regular and consistent basis at a predetermined location.

Academic Motivation

Provides a real-world context for academic subjects. (When students see how classroom learning connects to their future, they generally are more enthusiastic students.)

Facilitates 'Life Skills' Training

Because of the structured environment and group setting, programs can conduct workshops where mentors can act as one-on-one guides to the mentees in learning life skills (e.g. conflict resolution, goal setting, interviewing and resume writing, communication, time management, etc.)

Resources

Often the employee can access resources that the mentee could never think of on his/her own.

Great Stuff

Most workplaces are equipped with computers, access to the internet, and other special equipment that youth enjoy using, or at least become inspired by.

For a look at how youth feel they have benefited in 20 measured areas from the worksite mentoring program at HBO, see the HBO Mentee Survey in the "HBO Los Angeles, 2001-2002 Mentoring Program" handout in this packet.

"I have learned the importance of being committed, persistent, and responsible, if I want to become successful, even though I still don't know what I want to major in."

Our model for Worksite Mentoring is designed to facilitate the relationships between mentor and mentee in a way that develops our youth through the stages of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Belonging and Love are next on the ladder. Youth have a desire to belong to groups: clubs, work groups, religious groups, family, gangs, etc. We need to feel loved (non-sexual) by others, to be accepted by others. We incorporate regular, structured group activities into the program in order to create a sense of family in the mentoring program. This provides a healthy alternative to our mentees to other types of groups that they may be exposed to (gangs, cliques, etc.).

Esteem is next. Through the attention and recognition that comes from others (mentor and group), self-value is raised and the mentee is psychologically ready to work on the development of higher self-esteem. When a volunteer mentor gives his/her time to the mentee it tells the mentee that they are worth something and produces demonstrable increases in self-esteem. The introduction of group sessions and workshops designed to help mentees master life skills (conflict resolution, communication, team building, goal setting, etc.) also builds self-confidence and self-esteem.

Self-actualization is at the top of Maslow's ladder. The need for self-actualization is "the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming." It is self-evident that in order to think in these terms the youth must feel worthy and capable. They also need to feel that their basic needs for safety, survival, belonging and esteem are fulfilled. People who have everything can maximize their potential. They can seek knowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment, oneness with God, etc. Our experience has been that highly 'at risk' students in our programs are far more likely to sign up for 'community service' towards the end of our program (after they've achieved certain life skills mastery and feel the bond from their mentors) than they are at the beginning of the program. In fact, in the general population it is usually middle to upper-class students who take up environmental causes, join the Peace Corps, go off to a monastery, etc.

"He has been a very important person, he showed me a way of being, of planning for the future. He has helped me a lot, and I will be forever grateful to him and every one else who made this possible."

Worksite only: Mentees are brought to the workplace where company employees mentor them.

Worksite & Community: Mentees are brought to the workplace where company employees mentor them. In addition employees are free to spend time in the community with their mentee (ball games, bowling, movies, park, etc.).

School Site: Mentors go to the mentees' school to mentor them. This model can also be adopted using a Community Based Organization (Youth Centers, YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, etc.) as the site.

School Site & Community: Mentors go to the mentees' school to mentor them. In addition employees are free to spend time in the community with their mentee (ball games, bowling, movies, park, community service, etc.).

Community Referral: Corporations allow mentoring organization to recruit from within their employee base. Corporate personnel may participate in the recruitment efforts in a variety of ways.

One-on-one: Each mentor is matched with a mentee for an extended period of time.

Two-by-two: Each mentor is matched with a mentee for an extended period of time. That pair is matched with another pair to allow an additional level of security. If a mentor must miss a session, the mentee is not left alone. Mentors can coordinate with each other to plan activities, ensure coverage, and provide each other feedback.

Two-on-one: In this model two mentors take on one mentee. An example of where this has been employed is a corporate executive wants to participate, but due to his/her schedule can't be sure to be there for every session. So, he/she shares the duties with another mentor.

Team: A number of mentors are matched with a number of mentees. LA Team Mentoring matches 3 mentors with 10 mentees. This extends the number of youth that can be served.

All of the above models should encourage internet/phone/mail contact between mentor and mentee.

"It's a gift to see the relationship between mentor and mentee grow stronger throughout the year, and to know that I can make a difference in another person's life. Even when I feel pressed for time at work, I know that my mentor sessions were the best part my day, because my mentee and I invested in a relationship that will produce lasting memories for both of us."

Boundary Issues

Mentor Training
Mentee Training

Becoming the ATM Machine

Contract - mentor and mentee

No Show - Mentee

Train for them
Turn them into opportunities

No Show - Mentor

Training and Constant Reinforcement
- Two-by-two format
- Psychographics Matching

Premature Closure

Training
Have mentors agree to a specific closure process

Expectations

Training
Goal Setting

Work with an agency that has specific expertise in mentoring

Insist on adequate training

"Make sure the organization has the necessary outside help. Transportation, training, contacts in case of the inevitable need for the mentors to get counseling on issues they face while working with their mentee."

1. Identify Partners and Build a Team

2. Design a Program That Works For Your Organization

3. Recruit Mentors

4. Screen Mentors (includes fingerprint background check)

5. Recruit Students

6. Train Mentors

7. Train Students

8. Match Mentors and Students

9. Implement Program Design

10. Support Mentors and Mentees

11. Develop Evaluation Mechanism

12. Develop Ways to Recognize Mentors and Mentees

The following are some items you may want to consider when developing a budget for a mentoring program. Many of these items can be carried out at little or no expense if necessary. So, budgets may vary widely.

Budget Items:
Man Hours Allocated (Program coordinators, mentors, etc.)
Office Space Allocated
Office Expenses Allocated
Transportation
Orientation/Information Session (Refreshments/Handouts)
Mentor Screening (background checks/fingerprinting)
Mentor Training (Lunch / Refreshments)
Curriculum/Materials (mentor/mentee workbooks, etc.)
Consulting / Technical Assistance Fees
Committee Meetings (Lunch/Refreshments)
Kick-Off Party
Premiums (T-shirts, Tote Bags, etc.)
Guest Speakers
Mentor/Mentee Lunch Program
Holiday Gifts ($/student)
Field Trips
Recognition/Appreciation Banquet
Special projects: (documentary video, production of PSA, student projects, etc.)
Public Awareness campaign
Facilities usage
Scholarships

I asked the following question of four people who have run successful worksite mentoring programs:

If you could give only one piece of advice to someone looking to operate a Worksite Mentoring program in his or her corporation, what would it be?

Here are their answers:

"Every businessperson has a wealth of knowledge that they can share with their mentee...and even more important is simply exposing them to your world. Likewise, every youth has a wealth of knowledge about their world that can enrich the lives of their mentors. So, for a program to be successful you need to consistently create the opportunities for that sharing."

"You are dealing with someone's life when you commit to do this. Make sure you are committed to do it right. Get advise from someone who has experience and listen to the suggestions of the facilitators at the mentoring organization."

"Advice is simple.... make sure that those who are participating in the program are FULLY committed. They can't start the program and drop out in the middle, it disrupts the program and does not give these students a sense of stability, which is most cases is something they are seeking. I also suggest that you come up with a term project relating to your business, which everyone can work on together and individually. We were a music company, so our project was for the students to write a song and together we would record it, with everyone participating in the process... It was really a moving thing and it allowed some of the students who thought that they could never do something like this to see that they in fact could. EVERYONE in the program played on the recording and now has a piece of the finished product, and so I strongly suggest a project for everyone, especially one for those who think going into it that they can not contribute, because in the end they will see that they can."

"Have a committed point person at each location: business, school and sponsoring agency that will not let this fail. Also, don't wing it! Have the entire process mapped out and well organized with written commitment from all parties spelling out their responsibilities."