During adolescence, young people encounter new situations and new choices that challenge them to begin to define who they are and what they value. In this pivotal developmental moment, they often seek out the positive influence of mentoring relationships.
In the Changing Lives Program, mentors work with young people in ways that help them broaden their sense of future possibilities, overcome the challenges they face, and live up to their best potentials.
In the Changing Lives Program, mentors work with young people in ways that help them broaden their sense of future possibilities, overcome the challenges they face, and live up to their best potentials.
Our Mentors
Our mentors come from the same schools and neighborhoods as their mentees and have faced similar challenges. They are juniors and seniors in programs at Tarleton State University-Waco. Most will be the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. Most continue to graduate school.
Our mentors come from the same schools and neighborhoods as their mentees and have faced similar challenges. They are juniors and seniors in programs at Tarleton State University-Waco. Most will be the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree. Most continue to graduate school.
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“The mentor made me feel like it was okay to be myself.”
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“I feel like I have a friend who is close enough to my age that we can get on the same level, but she’s older and wiser and has more life experience for me to get support from.”
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“She helped me today when I was falling down.”
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“She helped me figure out how to communicate better when I feel like closing down.”
Program Features
Our program is for all young people. Most of our mentees are trying to become first in their families to go to college. We provide mentoring at several area high schools and middle schools and at McLennan Community College through partnerships with Upward Bound, Gear Up, and Early College programs.
Our program is for all young people. Most of our mentees are trying to become first in their families to go to college. We provide mentoring at several area high schools and middle schools and at McLennan Community College through partnerships with Upward Bound, Gear Up, and Early College programs.
Mentors work with young people in weekly small group or one-on-one meetings. Their approach is supportive and collaborative, not problem-focused or didactic. When mentees face problems, mentors view these situations as teaching moments in which to build skills for overcoming life challenges.
Mentors receive instruction in helping skills, critical problem solving, and positive youth development. They participate in a weekly supervision class for course credit. They use tools for enhancing supervision, such as session notes, implementation assessment, and session feedback.
You can find more details about what we do at the links below:
Promoting positive identity development
What happens in the CLP?
What happens the first day?
What happens when mentees have problems?
How to facilitate critical discussion
Process monitoring procedures
Process evaluation
Promoting positive identity development
What happens in the CLP?
What happens the first day?
What happens when mentees have problems?
How to facilitate critical discussion
Process monitoring procedures
Process evaluation