Mentor Registration Info
The DreamCatcher Mentor
As a mentor, you will bring a wide range of life experiences to your mentoring relationship. Mentors can be a wonderful source of advice and inspiration to help guide mentees on career exploration - at a critical time in a student's life when significant academic decisions are made. If you become a DreamCatcher Mentor, we will provide you with a list of objectives within our structured "Program and Curriculum" that will guide your E-Mentorship experience. Throughout the process, the following themes should help guide you:
Advice
From time to time, your mentee may ask you for advice about anything from school assignments, career counseling and resources for scholarships to problems at home with family and friends. You can give them advice when appropriate. It is our hope that over the term of this mentorship, the student will be learning, gaining confidence and feeling a sense of empowerment without even knowing it. You are acting as a valuable source of knowledge, insight and encouragement for the student.
Access
One of the most valuable things you can do is to help connect your mentee with people, opportunities, and information that are otherwise out of reach. We encourage you to help your mentee find and get involved in new situations or find new resources. As an E-Mentoring program, DreamCatcher is designed in such a way that you can open up the vast resources of the internet to your mentee through your insight, encouragement, and inspiration.
Advocacy
You can be an advocate for your mentee - in other words, work on their behalf to get them the resources they need to resolve issues or problems. You can create opportunities to get to know your mentee as a person. The more you learn about your mentee, the stronger an advocate you can be.
Each DreamCatcher mentorship will grow into a unique relationship based on the tailored nature of the program and the needs of the student. With quality and consistent E-mentoring, the student will recognize that you have a sincere interest to be involved with them in the program. This can lead to increased self esteem, motivation and a drive to succeed beyond what may have existed prior to the student's involvement in DreamCatcher.
Mentor Testimonials
When asked to comment on what they learned and took away from their e-mentoring experience, here is what some of our DreamCatcher mentors had to say:
I now have an increased awareness and knowledge about Canada's north and its people.
I have more knowledge of the struggles that teens face in the North and a connection with a student who has positive goals and ambition
I am now aware of a very tiny community I had never heard of that has regular kids doing regular stuff that just live in the middle of nowhere!
I was very surprised to learn about the high drop out rate in Northern schools. I had no idea the problem was so severe. It made me want to get more involved in encouraging Northern youth and providing them with opportunities
I like the idea of reaching out to those in isolated, or somewhat isolated areas, and showing them there is great potential to experience the world
I think mentoring programs for youth are fantastic, and this one allows for a broad cross-section of people to be involved.
I have learned a little bit about living in Yukon as well as the challenges faced by those living in remote villages/towns.
It's exciting knowing that the students know they have a "connection" and someone they can go to for guidance. Even if some are not enthusiastic about participating now, I feel that it will help them to know that there is always a medium or window of information to help them in the future.
I now realize that mentoring programs are very effective ways to motivate students who may be uninterested in school
I have a better understanding of the unique issues facing northern students. I really saw how much easier it is in Ontario to accomplish your goals and dreams than it is in the Yukon, where there is not as much opportunity. I think the students gain a valuable advantage in the program, networking with others in more populated areas.
©DreamCatcher Mentoring 2012 | Web design by Advoca