Happy New Year! Feels a bit late throwing that out there, but this is our first blog post of 2014. We’ll get on that this year, for reals. We hope everyone had a beautiful holiday and finding ways to stay warm during the prolonged freeze. Burrrrrr.
During our January 17th coalition meeting, we had the opportunity to hear from two amazing local organizations and discuss the power and importance of mentoring. January is National Mentoring Month. And while it’s only celebrated one month a year, the role mentoring plays in strengthening the community can be felt 24/7, 365.
Michelle Bos-Lun from Youth Services and Adrien Bagatelle from Big Brothers Big Sisters each talked about the numerous mentoring opportunities available within the Greater Falls community.
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Windham County, a program of Youth Services, is dedicated to matching adult volunteers with children in a one-on-one mentoring relationship. There is currently a list of young people waiting to be matched with a Big and several opportunities to become a mentor. Adrien talked about a new school-based mentoring program starting up at Central Elementary School this year. Click Here to read local mentoring stories. For details, volunteer registration or to enroll a child, contact Adrien by email or calling 802.257.0361 x 138.
Youth Services provides programs and services that promote the healthy development of local youth and families in Southeastern Vermont and help them gain the skills necessary to lead constructive lives within the community. One of those programs is RAMP (Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program), a high-tech, career-focused mentoring program for youth. Area youth meet weekly to discuss life goals, career options and build community. Adults, businesses and community organizations come in to talk about their work and role within the community. Youth also have the opportunity to do site visits. Check out the video below for more information about RAMP. Interested in being volunteering? Contact Michelle by email or by calling 802.257.0361 x 120.
We are very blessed to have such passionate, dedicated people in our community. Mentoring builds trust, relationships and a connection to the community. We may only have a few more days left of January, but mentoring a young person can have profound, life-long impact.
Cheers!