Mentor FAQs

Kids like to be with their mentors.  They don’t always need to be entertained.  Including them in your day-to-day activities helps them to feel a part of your life. If you’re going to do some errands, call your mentee and get some ice cream on the way home.  Or just spend some time “hanging out” with your mentee…it’s a legitimate reason to have fun for an hour or so. Your time with your mentee may be something that you already do by yourself or with your family.  Consistency is the key to building a significant relationship.  And remember, it’s the simple things that count.

You will be developing a relationship with a child, to help him or her grow emotionally, academically, and spiritually. Your relationship will become a friendship, guiding your mentee toward Christ and a healthy lifestyle.  Engaging in fun, interesting activities that you and your mentee enjoy and helping your mentee with schoolwork are just some of the things you can do to make it easy. Parents with limited resources are grateful for the support and guidance you can provide the child.

Mentoring Tucson’s Kids has several options for mentors besides the traditional one-to-one match.  We have many couples mentoring together, sometimes one child or a pair of siblings.  We have couples mentoring families and even families mentoring families.

Most of our mentors are not counselors or social workers. They are just people like you, willing to become a friend. Showing your mentee that you care and being consistent are what counts. Every mentor has a trained Mentor Coordinator to help with any problems or concerns that may develop. You will keep your Mentor Coordinator informed about your meetings with your mentee, and your Mentor Coordinator will be available to problem-solve with you.  You will meet other effective mentors at our activities, training sessions and support meetings. You won’t be in this alone, but will have a team of people supporting your efforts.

Your preferences will be considered and you’ll decide when to accept a mentee. All of our volunteer mentors and mentees and their parents are interviewed, and we do our best to put together matches that will succeed.  We join you in prayer as we search for the child God has picked for you.

Once you have reviewed the information and application packet, just complete the application and return it to us. Once we receive your application, we will review it, process your background check and personal references, and let you know about upcoming training sessions.  After training, we will schedule a face-to-face interview with you. We will also conduct a home assessment, since mentors often have their mentee in or around their homes. You will then attend a training session before we match you with a child or adolescence.