Email Mentoring - Project Description

Email mentoring provides working adults in a large community the opportunity to directly impact the growth, development and learning experience of transition-aged youth (11-17) during the school day without leaving the office. In this academic-based program, school teachers create classroom projects and register their students in an online Email mentoring program.

Once properly screened and cleared to secure safety for the student and mentor, Email mentors then select from a variety of school projects that interests them. Within that project, the mentor then selects an available student and sends the first email introduction. Once the student responds, then the relationship commences. Throughout the life of the project, the mentor provides research advice, professional insight (depending on the project) and any other information or support relative to the topic of the project, as well as friendly conversation and life guidance.

Email mentors and students communicate only via email.

Email mentoring is an ideal program for businesses and their employees that want to support students in their communities without creating large corporate community service projects. In the program, the company (or organization) sponsors each volunteer employee with a contribution of at least $200 to cover the cost. Email mentors communicate from their workstations on occasion during the workday, and students use classroom and/or home computers.

This communication occurs for the term of the project as specified by the classroom teacher. Projects range in duration from several weeks to several months or an entire semester. Mentors and students will spend 30 minutes to one-hour per week in this communication.

All mentors must be at least 21 years old, complete a full screening and clearance process before having access to the Email mentoring project slate and agree to support the student for the duration of the project, whatever its length. Email mentors do not need to be employees of a particular company to participate.

Project goals include enhancing students’ use of technology, increased interest in math and science, improved communications skills and broadened understanding of future professional opportunities.

Those mentors and students who during the course of the Email mentoring match would like to pursue a face-to-face mentoring experience need to contact Be A Mentor to facilitate the face-to-face matching process.

-- Not a good time to be a mentor; how about other support? --