|
Mentor program: bring out the kid in you
By Jeff Myers
Student Housing Residence Hall Coordinator
Part of being
away at college is the experience of being away from your family.
For some of us this is a godsend and for others it’s a bit
of a tragedy. For myself, while I was definitely glad to be on my
own, I missed having my younger siblings around. Yes, they definitely
could be annoying and there were times I really didn’t like
them too much, such as the time when they cut off part of my eyebrow
while I was sleeping, but overall, I missed them a lot while at
college. That’s when someone brought to my attention a mentor
program.
Being a mentor meant being part of a young child’s
life. It meant helping them with their homework, answering their
questions, playing dolls or cars, and just having a good time. It
didn’t mean that I was a part of their family, that I had to
baby-sit them, or that I was expected to put my life on hold. It
was one of the best experiences of my college life.
And now, I would like to bring that experience here.
I am starting a new potential club to help anyone interested in
being a mentor. This club will meet once a week after school (the
day has not been set yet) next semester for about two hours. The
kids will be brought to housing and each child will be paired up
with a student. This is a chance for you to do something good for
a child out there that needs it, a chance for you to act like a
kid and not take yourself so seriously, and a chance to make a difference.
As corny as this sounds, it’s true, you will make a difference.
When I was a mentor, I had two different children I worked with,
and I know personally that they are better off for the experience,
if no other reason than to have an adult care about them.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor in this organization,
you need to fill out an application. You can either get this from
myself, or from the student housing lodge desk. We will be starting
next semester with a meeting to discuss how the group is going to
work, and the next week the kids will be up here. Let me thank you
all for taking the time to read this, and also for all of you that
are willing to help.
Back to issue contents /
Homepage
|
|
