SPONSOR-A-SCHOLAR
Q: What are the characteristics of a successful mentor?
A successful mentor is: caring, a good listener, stable, reliable, committed, non-judgmental, discreet, patient and tolerant. A good mentor provides leadership and has a good sense of humor.
Q: What does a mentor do?
As a mentor in the Sponsor-A-Scholar Program, a precollege and mentoring program for high school students, you would:
- Meet with your scholar once a month at mutually convenient times for activities that you choose together.
- Provide a window into the college and post-college world for your scholar.
- Gain insight into the challenges your scholar faces.
- Act as a guide and a role model for your scholar.
Q: What is the time commitment for volunteer mentoring?
We ask our Sponsor-A-Scholar mentors for:
- One-to-four year commitment, depending upon the age of student you would like to mentor. If a volunteer begins mentoring a freshman, we encourage him or her to follow that student throughout their high school career.
- Approximately four hours a month (This can include email, phone calls and meeting in person once or twice a month.)
Q: Who are the students?
Students accepted and enrolled in Sponsor-A-Scholar are academically promising, motivated students from low-income families who apply for the program in the 8th grade. Students meet the program?s rigorous standards and expectations of academic performance and participation in community, academic, and enrichment opportunities that enhance their college preparations.
Q: What are the qualifications to become a mentor in the YMCA Mentoring Programs?
Our Sponsor-A-Scholar mentors are:
- Adults with a college degree or comparable life experience who possess the characteristics of a successful mentor
- Individuals with a commitment to guiding a Milwaukee Public School student on the path to a college education
Q: Who is willing to mentor?
According to a poll of adults conducted by AOL Time Warner Foundation and MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership:
- 57 million adults would seriously consider mentoring.
- 99 percent of all mentors already in a formal mentoring relationship would recommend mentoring to others.
- The majority of people became mentors because they were asked; 75 percent joined through an affiliated organization.
Q: What are the benefits of mentoring?
The benefits of mentoring go both ways. Adult mentors often report that their mentoring experiences improved their lives in tangible ways. Not only do they feel better about themselves for playing a positive role in a young person’s life, but they also find that mentoring teaches them more about themselves. Mentoring increases their sense of responsibility and accomplishment, and lays the foundation for better morale at work, and better relationships with family, friends and coworkers. Mentors report that they develop more patience, develop new friendships, feel more effective and acquire new skills.
Still have questions? Contact us for more information.
SAS has a
99%
high school graduation rate.
96%
of the high school graduates enroll in post-secondary education.