Mentor Requirements
Qualifications - "be genuine"
Age: 25 years or older.
Pass Screening Interview.
Complete Mentor Questionnaire.
Meet Time Requirement: Able to contribute 2 – 4 hours per month for Virtual Mentoring Sessions.
Honor Commitment: Ability to contribute at least 3 months for the program.
History of following through on commitment, required.
2 References required.
Background Check: Ability to pass criminal background check.
Bias-free: Ability to be nonjudgmental.
A commitment in working with ex-prisoners and understand the value of mentoring this population.
Experience: Professional experience; former mentor. Work experience preferably in human resources, labor relations, community relations, or customer service; however other careers are also welcome.
Confidentiality: Ability to follow and commit to confidentiality agreement.
Follow the Legal requirements and Law: Ability and willingness to follow the law and legal requirements of Fairview and the local jurisdictional laws.
Ability to Report Critical Incidents: Some returning citizens in the program may suffer from past addiction, depression, or other mental illness and may be at risk for self-destructive behavior. Although we will make every effort to ensure appropriate pairing, mentors should be prepared to immediately contact the program staff, and follow the appropriate protocol identified in the confidentiality and mentoring program. Mentors will be trained to recognize warning signs of self-destructive behaviors, such as not showing up for work, reconnecting with poor peer influences, negative behaviors, or life style changes—in this case the mentoring coordinator should be contacted and the relationship will cease.
Responsibilities:
Mentors should be prepared to offer practical advice to returning citizens. Advice might include Information as basic as how to get to a certain destination, bus routes or instruction on riding the Metrorail system. Mentors might place feelers in their respective communities or places of employment about job opportunities. However, the main focus for the mentor is to provide nonjudgmental and consistent support for a returning citizen.
The mentor might also find that she needs to assist the mentee with developing or enhancing decision-making and problem-solving skills. In fact, proving assistance with making good decisions, mending family and community ties, and other acts of good citizenry will likely be the lion’s share of your interaction with returned citizens.
Here are a few helpful tips:
Mentors should ensure communication and the nonjudgmental interactions foster trust and conditions where the mentee feels valued.
Mentors should identify the mentee’ strengths and attempt to cultivate positive social behaviors.
Mentors should help the mentee develop a road map for success beginning with incremental steps, such as obtaining identification, locating job prospects, or family reunification (pending Fairview approval/input).
Mentors should be prepared to listen and discuss common challenges the mentee may encounter;
Mentors should note returning citizen concerns. They might have questions about how to prepare for an interview or rekindling ties with a child that they haven’t seen in a while or how best to handle demons and temptations. Through discussion and observations, Mentors might also notice apprehensions, excitement, disappointments, and frustrations especially with their living situation, health needs, or perceived changes in their relationship with family and friends.
Mentors will be asked to keep notes on their interactions. These notes should capture her personal challenges trying to establish bonds of trust, or first impressions meeting their assigned returned citizen. Since developing a relationship with a complete stranger has infinite possible dynamics, DCPC is open to both the small and major observations captured in the mentor’s experiences. Finally, DCPC will use mentor notes as the basis for a final report. This report along with the mentor’s exit conference with DCPC will be used to tailor the program and to determine its overall effectiveness.
