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Peer Mentors: Some of the mentors working with their mentees online. September 20, 2022. Photo Courtesy: Rumeysa Bayram.
By: Rumeysa Bayram, Staff Writer October 14, 2022
For the past three years, Foran High School has sponsored a peer mentoring program. This is a program for high school students to become peer mentors to elementary school students.
This program aims to give young students a role model or a friend to look up to for support, guidance, and encouragement.
Mentors are mainly organized to work one on one with students in order to assist them with any work or problems. The program helps students gain new skills like leadership, confidence, new experiences working with younger kids, and so much more.
Program co-organizer Mrs. Lisa Farrell says, “The job of mentors is to help students in elementary school have strong connections and build positive relationships with others.”
In order for a student to become a peer mentor they have to be selected either by their school counselors or administrators.
Farrell continues, “Students in this class have three pieces of training before starting to mentor so they know how to work with elementary students before they start.”
This year, the program consists of 26 senior mentors who mentor two of the four elementary schools in Milford: Live Oaks, Orchard Hills, Calf Pen Meadow, and Orange Ave.
The program takes place during the school day counting as a class for the participating students.
Mentoring provides younger students with the opportunity to learn about how to communicate with others about their feelings, problems with school work, and other thoughts on their minds starting at a young age.
Program co-organizer Mr. Rick Raucci says, “Mentors focus on developing positive relationships with their mentee and are there to help the mentee with anything that student might need be it things going on at school, with friends, with family, or just to enjoy time together to foster a bond.”
Mentoring allows the mentees to start and understand the importance of having relationships and gives them a constant positive role model.
According to Mentoring Complete, “A study conducted by the University of Cambridge Judge Business found that mentoring reduced anxiety and improved mental health for both mentors and mentees.”
Having these relationships can make mentors feel a sense of achievement and influence towards their mentees. A mentor makes sharing problems or thoughts easier for younger kids.
