The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
As talented as they are, teachers sometimes fail to make a genuine connection with their students based on one simple fact of life Ñ the generation gap. That was part of what prompted the Flin Flon School Division to initiate its Youth Mentor Program in 1999, and it's one reason why the division is pleased to continue with the initiative again this year. The program sees young people, often fresh out of high school, lend a helping hand at the elementary schools by organizing recreational events, assisting with homework and just being there to listen to the students. "The students seem to be able to relate well with the mentors," said Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch. "They're an extra set of hands to take on different activities. They act as big brothers and big sisters to the children." Five mentors started at the Flin Flon elementary schools yesterday after completing training on what they can expect during the year. Amber Larson and Jolene Gardiner have been placed at Ruth Betts School; Mackenzie Brown and Jenni East at McIsaac School Ecole McIsaac; and Corrie Betnar at Parkdale School. "We're very happy with the group of mentors we have this year," commented Veitch. "We had an excellent group of applicants." Some specific mentor duties include supervising sport activities before and after classes, organizing clubs for students with special interests, and serving as chaperones on field trips. Perhaps their most significant impact comes from the relationships they develop with the students. As program coordinator Heather Acres once told The Reminder, "Students don't see the mentors as authority figures, but more like friends who they can relate to and approach for advice." Veitch said that mentoring is often a good learning experience for young people, many of whom are unsure of which career path to take. "We've seen some mentors in the past who, after the experience, decided they would like to go into a field working with youth," he noted. "But I've also seen mentors say that they've decided to go into something completely different." The school division will spend about $20,000 on the program this year, close to one-third of the total cost. The rest of the money will come from grants, the NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority, Manitoba Education, Training and Youth, and HRDC. Thanks to the success of the Youth Mentor Program in Flin Flon, similar programs have been put in place in Swan River, OCN and within the Frontier School Division.
