Thursday May 27, 2010

5:15 PM – 6:30 PM

Salida Library

Presented by:  Planned Parenthood

Snacks will be provided

FREE for all Mentors

Reserve your spot ASAP by calling 719.530.2581 (Salida) or 719.395.7006 (Buena Vista)

We’re thrilled to welcome educator Liza Cochran from Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains out of Colorado Springs for this SPECIAL & IMPORTANT TRAINING!  Mentors, we hope you can join us.

Description of training: Sharpen your skills around talking with youth about sexuality and sexual health. Participants have the opportunity to explore their own values about sexuality in a safe and non-judgmental environment. We will also explore how to respond to difficult questions from youth about sexuality and how to plan an effective conversation with a young person.

There really is nothing better than acceptance! Jelissa Q. and Lawton at Monarch

Tuesday night was our third monthly Mentor Coffee Talk. After some mingling, yummy, hot beverages and a great mentoring discussion, Miki Hodge, Chaffee County Mentors founder, joined us for the last fifteen minutes of the talk. She shared her powerful experience of being mentored as a youth. Within just a few minutes, she gave us some clear reminders that we do not always know the impact we are having on the lives of our youth. She told us how disinterested she became as she grew into being a teenager, and yet how deeply changed she was because her mentors kept showing up regardless of how she acted. “They were consistent,” she said. “And I knew, no matter what, someone would come for me every Wednesday.”

Consistency is such a simple quality. Yet many mentors express feeling like they are not doing enough, or that they don’t believe they are making a difference. Miki reminded all of us that, “Nothing is better than acceptance.” How true this is. Loving acceptance of our youth is what really matters. And as much as we wish our mentees loved all of our ideas, or the activities we planned, or the gifts that we gave them – it is our consistency and acceptance of them that is making the lasting impression.

This is what sticks with Miki after all these years. And she is quite the success story! If you ever need inspiration to stay excited about mentoring, or you just need some reminders of what mentoring is all about – call us! Or call Miki – she says she is here to help us know that we are always having an impact on our kids – just by showing up!

We also encourage you to attend the monthly Coffee Talks for camaraderie and support. There is an abundance of wisdom within our mentoring family! The Coffee Talks are loosely structured so that mentors may show up with whatever challenges, learnings or highlights they wish to share and discuss. Topics that have come up so far: Who should be planning the activities more – the mentor or the youth? How to be most supportive with mentee’s academic needs without pushing them away or making them dread mentoring? What to do when your mentee is lying or stealing? How to get kids to show up when they say they will? How to deal with communication issues?

Our next two Coffee Talks will take place on Tuesday evening, April 28^th from 5:15-6:30pm in the Community Room at Bongo’s Salida Café, and Thursday evening, May 28^th – both in Salida (although we will be planning a talk for Buena Vista soon!). Please stay tuned and read the next newsletter for the location and time of May’s Coffee Talk. We look forward to seeing you soon, and hearing how your mentoring relationship is going!

]]> http://chaffeementors.org/2009/04/theres-nothing-better-than-acceptance/feed/ 2 http://chaffeementors.org/2009/03/the-texting-life-of-a-teen/ http://chaffeementors.org/2009/03/the-texting-life-of-a-teen/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:26:54 +0000 Eleanor Fahrney http://chaffeementors.org/?p=720 Texting – or text messaging – is one of the topics of our mentor training this week – held tonight at the Salida Middle School and Thursday night at McGinnis Middle School in Buena Vista.  An understanding of texting is essential to connecting with current teen culture.  One study shows that teens send 7.5 times more text messages than they make phone calls.  Is texting something mentors should take up as a way to stay in touch with their mentees?

A February 2009 article in the Seattle times indicates that some teens may be addicted to texting and internet use.  At the same time, a University of Pennsylvania professor feels that quantity of writing increases writing performance overall for youth.  More discussion of whether texting has academic value can be found in this March 2005 article in the Christian Science Monitor.  Perhaps the best role that a mentor can play is to be curious about what is important to your mentee while setting appropriate boundaries for your time together.  For instance, I make a point at the beginning of a visit with any youth to remind them that their cell phone should be turned off in order to honor our time together.  Meanwhile, I model my request by turning my phone to vibrate.

Mentors should also be aware that cyberbullying faces 1 in 10 US teens.  America Learns has created a valuable cyberbullying toolkit for mentors.  Click here to read more.

Computers are an important resource for all matches, including those in Youth In Action

“Connect Better with Your Mentee and Access Resources USING TECHNOLOGY” is not to be missed!  This one-hour training for mentors and volunteers will be offered in each town and will explore topics including the value of texting and email in mentoring, using our website as a resource, understanding how we access mentees’ grades online, entering mentoring hours online, and blogging.   Join us: Tuesday, March 17th, 5:30pm-6:30pm at Salida Middle School computer lab OR Thursday, March 19th, 5:30pm – 6:30pm at McGinnis Middle School computer lab in Buena Vista.  Call us with questions:  539-2630 OR 395-7006.

Alison and Whitney joined us at our October Group Activity on October 11th and enjoyed not only a burrito dinner and watching “The Princess Bride” at Starpoint but also taking lots of photos.  The photo above has the classic self-portrait look  . . . and indicates what fun Alison and Whitney are having together.

Alison Peticolas has been a mentor with us since the fall of 2005 and has been an amazing friend to Megan.  Thanks in part to Alison’s support, Megan took the courageous leap to spend a year abroad in Hungary.  Alison was re-matched with Whitney on September 25th and they hit it off from the beginning.  Both Whitney and Alison love dogs and they took a dog walking course from Karen Thorpe at the Ark Valley Humane Society.  They both mentioned how great the workshop was and how much they’re looking forward to going back to hang out and walk the dogs.  They also share a passion for reading and the outdoors and are excited about all the adventures their year together will bring. 

Thanks, Alison, for your continued support!

Alison and Whitney’s idea to take a workshop together on something they both enjoy is something all matches should consider.  Learning together creates a connection and a foundation from which to share a common interest.  Call Heather or me for more ideas on possible shared learning experiences – 719-395-7006 or 719-539-2630.

On Saturday, September 13th, 22 youth and volunteers joined us for a jaunt along Twin Lakes to the restored resort of Inter-Laken.  Our adventure began with a bus ride down the bumpy dirt road to the trailhead thanks to our heroine, Kay Blum, head of Salida Transportation.  (Kay later told us proudly that those driving their 4WD trucks down the road were astonished when they pulled into the parking lot and saw a school bus!) 

After a short snack outside the bus, we set off for Inter-Laken.  This resort from the late 1800′s (read more about it at this site) proved to be quite a treat, but not without the treasures of the walk out there.  The mountains were coated with a white from the storm the night before and the aspen leaves were displaying the first shades of yellow.  The sky was clear blue and the lake was shimmering in the sunlight . . . it was one of those perfect Colorado days. 

Andrew and Josh

I started in the back with Andrew Fahrney and his mentee, Josh.  We enjoyed a nice conversation, watched the ripples on the water,  and looked for fish in the lake (we saw a few).  During a stop I joined up with Steve Phillips and his mentee, Josh (a different Josh from Andrew’s mentee), where we spied an osprey on its nest.  Meanwhile, a nearby bird wouldn’t stop shouting its alarms.  Perhaps others could comment on this blog with other sightings and treasures of their walk to Inter-Laken. 

Randy, Ryan, Josh, & Steve

As Steve, Josh, and I started up again, Josh took off at a sprint and then stopped at the top of the hill for Steve.  Josh enjoyed regularly running ahead, each time stopping some distance ahead to wait for Steve.  It seemed we were at Inter-Laken in no time.  I was impressed by the structures.  Many of us enjoyed going to the highest level in the main building — for the view and the fun of going up and down those steep stairs.  We also played with the dogs of other hikers and played by the lake.  Somewhere in there, we ate lunch and hung out. 

Hiking Back to the Bus

We decided to return to the bus as a more cohesive group and offered different kids the opportunity to lead.  Those who took on the role did a great job; meanwhile others were put to task taking photos.  You’ll see some of those on this blog. 

Our time at Twin Lakes reminded me of the simplicity of mentoring.  You don’t need to spend any money.  Just go somewhere and experience it together.  Talk to each other.  Honor each other’s unique ways to experience a place without losing sight of the goal of spending time together  (like Steve and Josh).  Enjoy the journey and, if you get there, the destination.  Remember to try new things and new roles when you’re hanging out (like our hike back).  Photos are a great way to remember your time together, and cheap in this day of digital photography.  We have scrapbooks you can have if you want to make one together. 

Thanks, Barbara & Bruce and all our volunteers!