BROOKINGS January is National Youth Mentoring Month, and locally the need for mentors remains high.
Were a little over 20 years old. Weve been increasing the number of kids served every year. We serve about 213 kids now, Ali Teesdale, executive director of the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program, said. Were always in a consistent need for about 50 volunteers I would say about 75-80% of that need is for male mentors. We have a large number of boys on the waiting list.
Shes seen mentors make a big impression.
The long-term impact is what we seek, Teesdale said. Weve had kids thatve started with our program not be able to socially go out into the community and do a lot of things. This kiddo I have in mind, four years in she is doing amazing. Thats something that four years ago we would not have seen. I would not have thought she would be involved as actively as she is and being able to participate and socially do very well.
Teesdale said every experience is unique.
Each mentoring relationship looks really different, she said. Youll have some matches that enjoy outdoors and parks, ice skating, maybe things like that. But then youll also have some matches that really enjoy indoors and playing board games or puzzles.
She said a small investment of time can make a world of difference.
About four hours a month ideally is our goal. And then we shoot for having a match last about a year, Teesdale said. We really aim to just have a consistent meeting time. So like our elementary kids, we aim for about once a week for about one hour. And then like our older kids, we offer a bit more grace or flexibility especially with our high schoolers, because sometimes high schoolers are working at jobs themselves.
Mentors undergo training and screening.
We do about a four to five hour training, Teesdale said. It can be taught either one-on-one in person, or it can be self-completed on the computer. But all of our training is out of best practices out of mentoring.org It has an overview of the program in general. It just gives folks a better idea of who we are.
She said there are also other ways to help.
Volunteering is of course our biggest need, just with having so many boys on our waiting list, Teesdale said. But monetary donations help us. That keeps us going, too. We do like to provide activity passes. We do provide events for each of our matches. In December we recently just did a hot chocolate bar So like thats what dollars go to just to support those activities.
Teesdale started with the program shortly before the pandemic and has shepherded the organization through an era of change.
We moved into the 1921 building about three years ago, she said. I like to describe (the offices) as a large living room space with two big, huge tables that folks can use for crafts or board games. We have a TV in here. We have a kitchen sink area. If they want to paint or do some sort of activity, theyre more than welcome to. Weve had folks push the tables out of the way and do dancing games.
Program information and applications are posted at https://bcymentoring.org, but Teesdale encourages people to discover more in person.
We will have a coffee conversation coming up that will be on Jan. 22, and it is 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Its just come and go, very informal, to give folks a chance to chat and see if they want to learn more, Teesdale said. That would be at Kool Beans, and coffee is on us Then well also have more of a celebration fun thing to wrap up National Mentoring Month. Were hosting Wooden Legs trivia night on Tues., Jan. 28. Trivia starts at 7:30 p.m., but folks can come early to get their table.
She said the program has always relied on grassroots support.
Whenever we ask howd you hear about us its like, oh we heard it from so-and-so. The biggest and best turnaround for us has always been word of mouth, Teesdale said. If someones even maybe considering, lets have coffee and a conversation We can walk through different options or maybe just share a mission, and it might spark something.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
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