Archive for February 2013

During the month of January we held our first meeting with a group of DOE employees who will serve as our first cohort of LYFE mentors! We are in the early stages of pairing mentors with student parents from LYFE sites and wanted to share with you the progress being made with the LYFE mentoring program.

Currently we have 7 DOE employees who have volunteered to become LYFE mentors and they are very excited to begin working with our student parents this Spring. The vision of the LYFE mentoring program is for LYFE student parents to have an additional personal, genuine, and caring relationship with an adult from whom they receive one-on-one support, guidance, and encouragement in order to successfully meet their personal goals. Student parents will have another person in their primary support network to connect with when they are faced with challenges of young parenthood and/or as a student. Students participating in the mentorship will receive support from their mentor in making decisions that will benefit themselves and their families. The intended impact is that the mentoring relationship will increase the mentees’ likeliness to complete high school and go on to post-secondary success at the college level and/or in careers of choice while meeting the needs of their families.

In meeting with our mentor cohort this month they indicated qualities and actions that were exhibited by their own mentors when they were in school. As a cohort, the LYFE mentors agreed to uphold these same qualities and actions in their interaction with our student parents:

• Imparting wisdom for life’s experiences
• Be genuine and caring
• Help students see their full potential
• Show students that the sky is the limit
• Be relentless with the support offered to students
• Believe in students even when they do not believe in themselves
• Expose students to the world of possibilities available to them

The work involved in the LYFE mentoring program is well underway and this Spring some of our student parents will benefit from having a supportive, nurturing mentor in their life. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress and success of this initiative.