For the Kids!

According to Dictionary.com:
The word "mentor" can be defined as the following:
-noun
1. a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. an influential senior sponsor or supporter.
-verb (used without object)
3. to act as a mentor: She spent years mentoring to junior employees.
-verb (used with object)
4. to act as a mentor to: The brash young executive did not wish to be mentored by anyone.

"The mission of College Mentors for Kids is to motivate at-risk children and communities to achieve their potential by fostering inspiration to transform lives, education to change attitudes, and connections to increase opportunities." (found at CMFK)

"College Mentors for Kids, Inc., was founded in 1995 by two Indiana University undergraduates who wanted to impact the lives of underprivileged children.

They assessed current youth programming and identified a gap in services for elementary school students.

The founders wanted to go beyond the familiar recreational mentoring and after-school tutoring programs and offer a program with structured, substantive activities designed to yield specific results regarding youth development and educational achievement.

They created a program model that paired the needs of underprivileged first- through fourth-grade elementary school students with the talents and resources of undergraduates and the college campus.

Following a year of planning, College Mentors for Kids was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1996. The mentor program was piloted with 18 buddy pairs at Indiana University and 12 buddy pairs at Butler University in the 1996-1997 school year.

A state office was established during the summer of 1997 and four new chapters were launched in the fall of 1998. Since that time College Mentors for Kids has expanded to 20 colleges statewide and regionally," CMFK.

For the mentors and buddies at CMFK, each activity follows a strict schedule. Here is an example from Ball State University:

3:20 - Buddies arrive on campus.
3:20-3:40 - Bathroom, snack time, Book of the Week.
3:40-3:50 - Discuss Activity of the Day, give College Question of the Week
3:50-4:00 - Walk to activity location.
4:00-4:05 - Remind buddies about the rules.
4:05-4:30 - Activity
4:30-4:40 - Walk back to homeroom.
4:40-4:45 - Discuss College Question of the Week.
4:45-5:00 - Journal Time
5:00 - Go home.

Of course, this schedule is subject to change. Buddies do not always leave their homeroom locations, but mentors do encourage it so the buddies can see more of the college campus.

Each activity is based around one of three categories: Higher Education, Culture and Diversity, or Community Service, eventually using all of these categories a few times throughout the year.

The Book of the Week is an age-appropriate book read to the little buddies during their snack time and is somehow tied in with the activity.

The College Question of the Week is there so the buddies can relate what they are doing in the activity to college and what college students do.
Examples of College Questions: What is a major and what is a minor? How can college students use their library? What would you study in college if you wanted to learn more about the stars and planets?

At the end of each activity, the little buddies write in their personalized journals about the activity. They also write and answer the College Question of the Week, then are asked to pick out one more question from the question bank and have to either write out an answer or can draw their answer.

The following is an interview with Eric, a Butler University Mentor and Chapter President Alum. This interview and all others listed can be found on the CMFK website:

Q: What is your favorite College Mentors for Kids memory?
Eric: I remember meeting a grandmother who was raising three of our little buddies on her own, and she nearly came to tears when thanking the mentors for their commitment. It's an incredible feeling to see how much this program means to the families of our little buddies.

Q: What did you learn or gain from College Mentors for Kids?
Eric: Being a mentor allowed me to look at the world from a different perspective than that of a typical college student... I found myself re-evaluating my own habits and behaviors as they related to education and my role in society. When a child from adverse conditions can overcome and be willing to learn outside of their familiar day-to-day environment, it inspires the mentor to do the same.

Q: What should everyone know about College Mentors for Kids?
Eric: Everyone should know that College Mentors for Kids is one of the most unique, valuable and necessary nonprofit organizations in the state of Indiana. It's no secret that education in Indiana sags behind most of the country, but College Mentors for Kids is taking steps towards improvement with every buddy pair.

The following is from an interview with Haley, a sophomore majoring in Nursing at University of Indianapolis, and her little buddy Liliana, who is in second grade:

Q: What do you want people to know about College Mentors for Kids?
Haley: Nothing is more fulfilling than to have a little girl smile at you and tell you she loves you; to know you are leaving a big impression on someone's life makes it all worth it!
Liliana: College Mentors for Kids is fun because there are nice big buddies. Yeah, everyone should be in College Mentors.

Katlin, a second grader, is part of College Mentors for Kids at Anderson University. Here is part of her interview:

Q: Why is college important?
Katlin: To learn new things and learn about what you want to be when you grow up.

Q: What do you want people to know about College Mentors for Kids?
Katlin: They are nice people and more people should be part of it.

While CMFK is only for first through fourth graders, BBBS is open to six to eighteen year olds. For the kids that come through CMFK, once they complete the program, the organization actually recommends them to BBBS so they can continue on in a mentoring program.

"The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth," BBBS.
Image found here.

"In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and he set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country.

At around the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children's Court. That group would later become Catholic Big Sisters.

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers of America and Big Sisters International joined forces and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

More than a century later, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to our founders' vision of bringing caring mentors into the lives of children. Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states and in 35 countries around the world!"

(Information found at this section of the BBBS page.)