1. North Carolina Migrant Education Program
Mentor Training 2015
Jessica Ornat
Anastacio Basabe

2. Goals for this Training:
To become skilled at developing caring mentoring relationships
To learn about the challenges and barriers that your mentees face
To become more sensitive to those challenges & their effect on your mentees
To gain confidence in your ability to make a difference in the lives of your mentees

3. Program Overview What is the Migrant Education Program?
Who, where, and how do we serve?
What is the Mentoring Program?
Our mission and goals
Why become a Mentor?
Your Responsibilities and Expectations as a Mentor
Program Policies and Procedures
What-if scenarios/role play
Next Steps!

4. What is the Migrant Education Program?
Our Mission: To help migrant students and youth meet high academic challenges by overcoming the obstacles created by frequent moves, educational disruption, cultural and language differences, and health-related problems.

5. What is the Migrant Education Program?
History of the Migrant Education Program (MEP)

6. Who do we serve? Participants aged 3-21
Have not yet received a high school diploma or its equivalent
Have moved into a school district within the last 36 months (3 years)
Whose parents, guardians, spouses, or selves have moved due to economic necessity to obtain or seek work in agricultural production or fisheries.
Out of School Youth (OSY): These are eligible migrant students who have left formal schooling before graduating from high school. They are often difficult to serve because, despite their academic goals and aspirations, they often have to work long hours. 30 – 40 % of migratory students are OSY.

7. Out of School Youth

8. Out of School Youth

9. How do we serve? Identify and recruit migrant students
Provide high quality supplemental and support services
Our current projects include:
ESL classes
Foster coordination among schools, agencies, organizations, and businesses to assist migrant families
Family literacy workshops
Mentor Program
Collaborate with other states to enhance the continuity of education for migrant students

10. Let’s brainstorm barriers to education

11. Issues that farm workers and their families face:
Constant relocation for work
Lack of transportation
Language and cultural differences
Immigration status
Reminder: Don’t ask about documentation/immigration status
Lack of access to education
Lack of information about the US Education system
Fear of judgment and different treatment due to differences, occupation
Need to work with hardly any down time
Personal limitations brought on by situation (e.g.. Pregnancy, drug abuse, etc.)

12. Mentoring Program Mission
The mission of the Mentoring Program is to be a resource for migrant youth to help them meet their academic/educational goals & needs
Other goals for the program:
Establish a positive personal relationship with an adult outside of their family
Help young people develop life skills
Assist with access to educational resources
Increase awareness of & ability to interact with other social & cultural groups

13. MENTORING VIDEO

14. What is a Mentor?
A mentor's main purpose is to help a young person define individual, personal goals and find practical ways to achieve them.
The mentor's job is to encourage the development of a flexible relationship that responds to both the mentor's and the young person's needs. 
A mentor is a caring, adult friend who devotes time to a young person.
All mentors have the same goal in common: to help young people achieve their potential and discover their strengths.

15. What is a Mentor?
Mentors are not meant to replace a parent, guardian or teacher.
A mentor is not a disciplinarian or decision maker for a child.
Instead, a mentor echoes the positive values and cultural heritage parents and guardians are teaching.

16. Qualities of a Successful Mentor
Personal commitment to be involved with another person for an extended amount of time
Respect for individuals, their abilities and their right to make their own choices in life
Ability to listen and to accept different points of view
Ability to empathize with another person’s struggles
Ability to see solutions and opportunities as well as barriers
Flexible and open

17. Tasks of the Mentor Assist with access to educational resources
Establish a positive personal relationship
Youth participants often gain a sense of self-worth when they recognize that a caring adult other than their parent is willing to invest time & energy in them
Help your mentee develop life skills
Make a plan for their educational/academic goals
Nurture their hobbies and interests
Assist with access to educational resources
College applications, financial aid, GED, literacy & ESL classes
Foster non-academic but still educational hobbies and interests (e.g., art education, skills and language)
Maintain a professional relationship with your Mentee
Communicate in adult, professional, non-demanding, and non-judgmental ways
If your mentee shares anything that could affect their safety, share it with your program coordinators!

18. Expectations of a MEP Mentor
Commit ~8-10 hours per month, with reasonable exceptions
Be flexible if your mentee needs to reschedule or is no longer available when scheduled
Be professional, honest and mature
Offer constructive and practical suggestions
Be open, non-judgmental and understanding
Support and guide your Mentee

19. Responsibilities of the Mentor Coordinators
Provide Mentors support throughout their mentoring relationship
Offer advice & help when needed
Suggestions on what to do with your mentee
General information on the area where you will meet your mentee
Help the mentor if it relationship is not working out
Facilitate the end of relationship procedure
It is very important that you let us know if you are not able to continue your mentoring relationship with your mentee

20. Mentoring Program Policies
Privacy- Respect the privacy & time commitments of your Mentee. Maintain the strictest confidence about what your Mentee says to you.
If you sense your mentee is being abused in any manner, report it!
Communication- It is your responsibility to check in with your Mentee before meeting with them. You are responsible for checking in with your Mentee on a regular basis & maintaining a professional relationship with them at all times.
Liability- Please remember that you should not use your personal vehicle to transport your Mentee. You will be held accountable in adhering to NC state & federal laws regarding adult/youth relationships.
Safety and Security- You should never be alone with your Mentee. Mentoring should take place at the mentee’s school or at home with a parent present or in a public place with others around.

21. ‘What if’ Role Play Activity
Please gather into groups of 3
Each group will be assigned one of the scenarios listed on page 4 of your handbook
Take 5 minutes to discuss how you would react to the scenario
Act out your scenario & respective responses to the whole group
End of activity discussion & summary
Discussion about why they responded the way they did. What other factors influenced your response? Other input from class? Do you have anything else to add/discussion?

22. On to the Introduction! Matching of Mentor & Mentee
How long will this take?
Introduction between Mentor & Mentee
Provide information about yourselves
Exchange contact information
Get to know your Mentee’s education status/history and what they are interested in so you can begin formulating ideas about what to do/where to go with your Mentee

23. Ideas of Things to Do… Visit a college campus
Paint, explore the arts, take a music lesson
Learn/teach computer skills
Work on GED study skills
Work on college applications
Sports/ sporting events
Go out to eat
Take a walk
Visit a museum
Talk and get to know one another!

24. Code of Ethics
Together, we will write some guidelines that you agree to adhere to as volunteers with the MEP Mentoring Program

25. Questions?