A lot of people have thought about volunteering to mentor a child, but have shied away because of a lack of confidence. The Sacramento County Office of Education is offering a unique mentoring program that helps kids and mentors through the process.
Tim Herrera with the county says this mentoring program offers a lot of structure, which makes it unique…and perfect for first time mentors.
HERRERA: "If you're someone who thinks well, I'm not sure I can really do…I'm not comfortable with working one on one with a student, that's ok. With this program, it's gradual. It starts with group mentoring, a lot of group activities, a lot of group engagement. From there it can evolve into some one-on-one situations here and there."
The program requires one hour a week and includes team building and confidence building for mentors and at-risk students. This is the third year of a four-year grant worth half a million dollars from the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Kinney, Calvine, Hickey, and North Area Junior/Senior high schools will host the mentoring sessions this year. Click here for more information.