Mentor Program - Who Can Have a Mentor?
Mission Statement
The mission of the Heart Gallery Mentor Program is to bring enthusiastic, dedicated, caring members of our community and unite them with our foster youth. To help instill in them the independence, confidence and everyday life skills they will need to live a productive life.
Program Description
The Heart Gallery Mentor Program was created to provide one-on-one mentoring for Lane County Foster Youth. It is our goal to provide support and a consistent connection to help them transition successfully from adolescence to adulthood.
Program Goals
- To provide foster children with a caring adult that can be a friend and support to the child.
- Unite caring adult members of the community with Lane County foster youth to help increase the number of successful transitions into adulthood.
- Increase the number of foster youth that complete high school, enroll in post-secondary school and find stable empoyment and housing.
- Educate the mentor on all the options available to the foster youth.
- Educate the foster youth, through the mentor about their options in education, housing and employment.
- Help the foster youth and the mentor develop a strong, long term connection.
- Teach independent living / life skills needed for a successful future in adulthood.
Background
Heart Gallery Mentor Program was created because of the interest generated from the Lane County Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery featured 3 youth in foster care that were asking for mentors. Out of that one exhibit we had over 20 members of our community that wanted to help this group of youth.
It is our goal to have these caring members of our community, the mentor educate the foster youth about goals that are within reach and options that are available to them. The Heart Gallery Mentor Program will offer quarterly trainings and supplemental information via-e-mails, classes, hand outs and mail to keep the mentors informed. The gift of a lifetime is to see the relationships between the foster youth and the mentor deepen and strengthen to a point that the mentor is a consistent guidance in the foster youth's life as they transition into adulthood. We believe that no young adult should have to be afraid, alone and unknowledgeable about adulthood.
The Heart Gallery Mentor Program is the second program in the State of Oregon that has a focus on foster youth. We ask that all volunteer members of our community that become mentors to these young adults provide a minimum of 10 hours a month, with a commitment of at least one year.
Heart Gallery Mentor Program is a partnership with Children Services (DHS) of Lane County and has an advisory board of well respected community members that are familiar with th difficulties that face these youth that are transitioning into adulthood.
The Need
Every year, more than 20,000 children leave-or "age out" of foster care because they have reached their 18th birthday. Often their tough lives become even tougher. According to a Homeless Youth Services Report, 60% of the homeless youth are former foster children. In 2001, statistics gathered indicated that within 12-18 months after aging out of foster care 40% of the young adults are on public assistance, 51 % are unemployed, 37% do not complete high school and 27% of the boys report being jailed at least once.
We often take for granted the support of family and friends. For young adults leaving foster care, those support systems are no longer available. That is where members of our community came in as volunteer mentors. They can help teach the independent living skills needed for a successful transition into adulthood. Mentors will be providing those support systems by teaching job interview skills, provide transportation to important meetings, educate the youth on basic financial skills, how to shop for groceries and many more activities that are a part of our everyday life as an adult.
Being mentored is a great way for the foster youth of Lane County to build lasting adult relationships, increase independent living skills an build up those all-important networks of support. It only take one caring member of the community to change the life of one foster youth that might impact more lives then you will ever know.
Lisa Long
880 Beltline Road
Springfield, OR 97477
Lisa@afamilyforeverychild.org
office-541-343-2856
cell-541-510-9815
