FAQ

What are the time commitments and requirements of the program?
See our page about the Sunnyvale Youth Mentoring Initiative.

What qualities make people good mentors?
Most of us have had a supervisor, a boss or coach. They acted as, delegators, role models, cheerleaders, policy enforcers, advocates, and friends. As a mentor you will have these roles as well. Most importantly, mentors should:

• Be dependable, reliable, and consistent
• Have a sincere desire to relate to a young person.
• Respect young people.
• Listen actively.
• Empathize.
• See solutions and opportunities.
• Be flexible and open.

Would I be a good mentor?
Try thinking about your background, you may have already been a mentor in informal situations. Maybe you helped a niece or nephew with schoolwork or listened to a youngster who wanted attention. In each instance, you were acting as a mentor. Joining a mentoring program simply formalizes your commitment to relate to a young person. At the same time, you get the benefit of comprehensive training and ongoing support.

Are there benefits for the mentor?
Mentors are often surprised to see is that they learn more about themselves, too. Mentoring is a shared opportunity for learning and growth. Mentoring doesn’t just affect the young person. As a mentor, you will:

• Be an important presence someone else’s life.
• Learn about yourself.
• Learn about needs in Sunnyvale in a personal way
• Contribute to the future generation and the local community.
• Have training that will promote successful relationships in all areas of life
• Have fun.

How old are the youth in the program?
We currently provide mentors for students at Columbia Middle School, in the northern part of Sunnyvale, so the youth in the program are in grades 6-8. We hope to expand the program to other Middle Schools and High Schools in the future if resources allow.

How will I know what to do with the youth?
Before you meet your mentor, we will train you with knowledge and ideas about how to relate to the youth you are matched with. We will help you understand and prepare for your role and responsibilities as a mentor. Throughout your mentoring relationship you will continue to receive monthly support by our staff. You can also contact us if you have questions or concerns about mentoring.

Can I mentor a youth with a co-worker or friend?
Our primary goal is to match one youth with one adult. Youth can feel ‘outnumbered’ or intimidated in situations where they are the only youth among other adults. However, any mentor-youth pair can choose to meet with another mentor-youth pair at any time and even do most activities together. In fact, this can be a fun way to mentor in the beginning of a mentoring relationship. As your relationship progresses, though, you and the youth will probably enjoy meeting together one-on-one as well.

What if I don’t connect well with the youth?
Remember that it takes a long time to build a trusting relationship, especially for a young person who’s had a lot of bad experiences with adults in the past. It may take a while to build up trust. Don’t interpret caution as rejection. Over the next few months, the young person may not show it — in fact, he or she may not even know it fully — but your help is definitely wanted.

What should I do if a youth is in a dangerous situation or has a serious problem?
Mentors have an important role of supporting the youth, but that role does not include medical or psychological treatment, or family counseling. There are support systems in place for real emergencies. Contact your mentoring program coordinator for information. The most a mentor is expected to do — and should do — is to help guide a young person to the appropriate source of professional help.