Sometimes the effects mentoring has on the students is only seen long after the mentoring match has ended.  However, there are times when we get to see the immediate impact that mentoring has on students. 

 

Here are a few stories from our GRIP facilitators:

·         A 7^th grade mentee is in the same grade as my daughter and she told my daughter to tell me “Thanks for getting me my mentor back again this year.”  My daughter said she looked so happy!

·         There is a 7^th grade male mentee who had always been matched with a female mentor before.  This year, he was matched with a male mentor.  At their first meeting, he had the biggest smile on his face.  Usually, he shows little to no emotion, so this was very nice to see!

·        A mentee told me that she had something to give her mentor the next time they met.  Turns out she decided to give one of her art projects (a clay heart shaped door knob hanger) to her mentor.  This was only after two meetings with her mentor- they had already made a great connection!!!

·        I needed to re-match one of my mentees because his former mentor was unable to mentor this year.  I was recruiting new high school mentors and one of the guys had worked at the pool this summer and knew this mentee from the pool.   When the mentor was trained and ready to go I set up their first meeting.  I asked the teacher to tell the mentee, but she had forgotten.  When I got the mentee from his room and brought him out in the hall to tell him that his new mentor was here and he saw who it was….the look on his face was complete joy!  He was almost speechless and could only giggle!  It was so cute.   What a great match!