Mentoring Works and CIS of Atlanta is Sharing Tips on How You Can Become a Mentor

ATLANTA – National Mentoring Month just wrapped up and Communities In Schools of Atlanta is giving you a reason to jump in, support kids, become a mentor, and contribute all year long. Having a mentor comes with an abundant amount of benefits, from becoming more empowered to make decisions to gaining practical advice and support. Now is the perfect time to get involved with your community and help our future leaders. Here are five quick tips on how you too can be a mentor and make a difference:

Just start - We all tend to have busy lives, and sometimes it is difficult to figure out how you can fit being a mentor into your life. This is where we have to remember our purpose to help others in life and find time to do so.
Customize your mentoring approach - No student or kids is the same. Know that you will come across many different personalities and should change your mentoring strategy to fit each kid's needs.
Be a good listener - Simply be willing to provide an ear to listen. Become that someone that will always be there, that the kid or student can count on each day or week.
Use CIS of Atlanta's School-to-Work Model - Consider partnering with local business and industry to recruit mentors. Once a month, students can travel to their work sites to learn about their workplace and career readiness skills as part of their mentoring relationship.
Consider incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) - This emerging mentoring strategy incorporates STEM learning concepts into the match relationship, and can promote academic and career development in these high-demand career fields. Oftentimes, college or graduate students will serve as the mentor and small groups will work on STEM projects as a springboard for deeper connection and meaningful discussion.

To learn more about mentoring and how you can provide support, visit our Volunteer page.

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Atlanta, established in 1972 as the nation’s first dropout prevention program that surrounds students with a community of support, implements mentoring throughout their network as a Level Two service to help students meet their attendance, behavior, and academic goals. “We see mentoring as not just an important topic for one month in the year, but an ongoing, imperative initiative,” explains CIS of Atlanta’s CEO Frank Brown. “Mentorship should be a trusted, continuous relationship, where the mentor helps a young person succeed in life by providing long term guidance, encouragement, and friendship.” As a way to continue their ongoing initiative, CIS of Atlanta teamed up with AT&T to host a mentoring event called AT&T Aspire Mentoring – Youth Summit, where AT&T employees provide mentoring to teens, helping them discover their career passions and potential. During these mentoring events, employees share life experiences and career advice through project-based activities, complete problem-solving activities in a group setting, and teach students how what they are learning in their classroom today can lead to future success. The event was held at the AT&T Midtown II Auditorium on Tuesday, February 28.