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Dream A Dream is looking for volunteers for its Dream Mentoring Program for the term commencing in January 2011. The program pairs an adult volunteer from the mainstream, with a child/ adolescent (ages of 14-18 years), who may be at risk or from a vulnerable background (from a low income family or slum community, or rehabilitated orphans/ run-away/destitute children). These children/adolescents are referred to Dream A Dream by NGO Partners who we work with in different communities in Bangalore. Some are directly enrolled from communities Dream A Dream runs its programs. These include – Adugodi, Koramangala, J.P Nagar, Kanakapura, Roopena Agrahara/Bommanahalli. Mentoring involves a one-to-one relationship between a mentor and a child/adolescent. The volunteer mentor & mentee meet for 1-2 hours once in 2 weeks. They meet at least 2-3 times a month and engage in meaningful learning /sharing.
The program tries to help an adolescent/child, who may be at risk or vulnerable, make the transition from an institutional support care system to an independent living environment. Mentoring can prepare and help the child/adolescent to positively cope with challenges of daily life and learn to make critical or informed decisions in life as he/she enters adulthood. Studies on similar one-to-one mentoring programs worldwide have shown positive impact on adolescents/children. It could help adolescents cope with difficult emotional challenges at home or difficult living conditions in the community or reduce a the tendency to skip or drop out of school or could reduce a child’s tendency turn to aggression or alcohol or drugs or crime. The program has been designed with the help of professional clinical psychologists from U.K., Dr. Dave Pearson and Dr. Fiona Pearson, who also serve as consultants/trainers.
Who is a Mentor? A mentor plays the role of a friend, a role model, a motivator, a guide. The focus is on building a relationship and through active listening, validation, and encouragement - help the child/adolescent cope, develop confidence to find his/her own solutions to daily challenges and make informed decisions. The interaction over a long period between mentor & child also inherently develops skills and awareness needed for transition to adulthood. A mentor:-
Volunteering Commitment/Period As a mentor volunteer your role will be more challenging, require a longer duration and continuity than volunteering roles in other programs. Although the ideal mentoring period is 1 year, the minimum mentoring commitment is 12 mentoring sessions (within 4-6 months). Volunteers can opt for:-
Who Are We Looking for? We are looking for 50-60 volunteers interested to enrol for the program.
Preference will be given to
What Next? Enrolled volunteers will be called for an orientation meeting at Dream A Dream. They will also undergo a series of 7-8 training sessions (1-2 per week), during the month of January & February 2011 prior to becoming a Mentor. The dates of training will be announced in December 2010. This is to ensure volunteers are prepared to take on potential challenges in a mentoring relationship and are clear about role/internal reporting processes/guidelines. On completion of training, mentors are matched based on location, gender, suitability (February 2011). A special matching session would be organised at the respective NGO Partner/Community Center to facilitate the first meeting. If a Mentor is not matched with a child/adolescent in the first round, he/she will become a Reserve Mentor who could be called in for duty post 3-6 months to replace another Mentor or be matched with a new enrolment.
To Enrol Write to Jeeno P Jacob, Program Anchor to sign up and schedule a meeting right away!
Email: jeeno.jacob@dreamadream.org
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