A good mentor can be hard to find
January 26, 2007, UNI Northern Iowan (University of Northern Iowa)

By BECKY CARTON

Everyone remembers a certain teacher, coach or special friend that influenced them to do their best and achieve their goals. A mentor is defined as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher – an influential sponsor or supporter.

The 6th annual National Mentoring Month campaign began earlier this month. NMM is a campaign to recruit volunteers to become mentors and encourage young people to reach their full potential. The campaign is led by the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership and the Corporation for National and Community Service. This years slogan is: Pass it on. Become a mentor.

Although it is a national campaign, there are several ways to mentor, tutor or take part in after school programs in the Cedar Valley area. Opportunity Works, along with Waterloo schools and Big Brothers Big Sisters, will have an information table in Maucker Union Wednesdays in January from 5:30-7:30 for those interested in becoming a mentor or tutor. All positions are flexible and require an application.

Junior public relations major Taylor Schaa, an intern at Opportunity Works, believes that mentoring has a positive effect on young people’s attitude as well as their schoolwork. “In 2005, it was recorded that Waterloo schools had about 10,000

students and on a daily basis about 900 don’t go to class. A mentor could influence their lives greatly,” said Schaa.

The goal for Opportunity Works is to recruit 50 new volunteers each semester.

Students can apply to volunteer in Waterloo schools and work one-on-one tutoring high school students for one hour a week. Students can also volunteer for Echoes, an after school program at the middle school.

The mentors are able to either lead activities or spend time with kids after school once a week.

Another organization that helps influence young people is Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The BBBS program by offers young children one-on-one interactions with a mentor, known as a big brother or sister. These relationships can greatly impact their lives for the better.

Studies have shown that little brothers and sisters

are less likely to use drugs or alcohol, skip class and are more confident in their schoolwork. Schaa stresses that the need for big brothers in the area is imperative.

“Right now there are about 60 little boys who are waiting for big brothers so we really encourage males to take part in BBBS.”

Sophomore social science major Bart Upah took interest in the program at the volunteer fair at Maucker Union last fall.

“I stopped by the booth and talked to a representative who told me that you would meet with your little brother 6-10 hours every month.

It seemed pretty easy to manage so I filled out an application, went through all the paperwork and now I have a little brother,” commented Upah.

“I took him to the UNI basketball game this past weekend and we’re planning on going to a museum soon. We just like to hang out and get to know each other.”

Samantha Fuchs, a freshman elementary education major, also decided to take part in BBBS last semester. She, along with her friend, freshman Paige Nagle, are big sisters to an eleven year old girl.

The pair signed up for BBBS together, filling out an application and then meeting with representatives for an interview. They then had an interview with BBBS representatives where they were asked a series of

questions about their interests and how they spent their free time. Based on these answers, they were matched up with their little sister.

“We’ve made picture frames, gone out to eat and hung out in the dorms a lot. Last week we threw a birthday party in our dorm for our little sister, and we even ordered pizza. It was a good time,” commented Fuchs.

Anyone interested in becoming a big brother or big sister is encouraged to stop by the table in Maucker Union on Wednesdays or visit www.iowabigs.org to fill out an application online.

Upah encourages students to make the most of the opportunity to mentor. “It’s a lot of fun to adjust to my little brother on that 6 year old level. Hanging out with him brings out the little kid in me.”

In the spirit of the campaign, students should remember that one special person, or persons, in their youth that had a positive influence over them. They should remember and pass it on. Become a mentor.