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CASASTART Youth Mentor
BACKGROUND
CASASTART is a positive youth development program aimed at preventing substance abuse and violence among high-risk 11 to 14-year-olds. CASASTART case managers work with students, their families, and school staff at Denny Middle School and Aki Kurose Middle School in Seattle to help students improve their school attendance, grades, and behavior.
Mentors are an important component of CASASTART. Each month, mentors join our students in various activities during after-school hours. By being present each month, mentors become positive adult role models to our students which they may not otherwise have if it were not for the CASASTART program.
At the core of Neighborhood House's mission is the alleviation of poverty in our community, especially the large public housing communities in Seattle. We want to lift children out of poverty. We want them to be healthy and ready to be successful in school and life. We want these children to grow up in safe and supportive homes and neighborhoods. Help us create a positive environment for local middle-school students where they are exposed to new things, be around supportive and dependable adults, and that allows them to aim towards a bright future.
WORK DESCRIPTION
By volunteering with us as a CASASTART mentor, you will be mentoring middle-school students. Male mentors will be with male mentees while female mentors will be with female mentees at separate mentoring events.
Each month, you will be participating in a group mentoring event for two hours with fellow mentors and mentees doing various activities. Last year's activities included cooking, trips to the Museum of Flight and Seattle Art Museum, rock climbing, golfing, playing soccer, and mask making. Such activities introduce our students to activities that they might not otherwise encounter given their socio-economic status and factors beyond their control.
We are looking for mentors who are dedicated, outgoing, pro-active, open-minded, and reliable. Being comfortable around a diverse group of teenagers is a must. Being able to get to mentoring events at various locations in the Seattle area on time is required.
IMPACT
Volunteers play a critical role at Neighborhood House, helping us help immigrants, refugees and low-income people overcome the challenges they face in everyday life.
With this volunteer position, you would allow us to provide positive, stable adult role models to our students that they might not otherwise have. By being around you, our students can hopefully see themselves in you and aspire to have a bright future. It is our goal that they will continue to stay in school, finish college, and break the cycle of poverty.
COMMITMENT
Two hours/month for one school year (September 2010 - June 2011)
ORIENTATION/TRAINING
Orientation and training will be provided in September. You will get to meet fellow mentors and learn strategies that would help you become a successful mentor.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Contact RominaR@nhwa.org for more information.
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