Saucon Valley Mentorship Program Celebrates Another Successful Year

With 336 students currently involved, Saucon Valley School District’s Mentorship Program is a valuable resource that enriches the lives of both mentors and mentees, school board members were told at their June 14 meeting.

It is during these one-on-one meetings that the mentorship--which has proven benefits for young people--occurs.

“That’s what truly makes this program unique,” Director of Mentorship Russell Carawan said at the meeting. “(The mentors) are spending time after school helping the younger students, when they could be at home playing video games or doing homework.”

Members of the school board had the opportunity to hear first-hand testimony about how the program has helped students throughout the past year.

“We’ve had a fantastic year this year for mentoring,” Carawan said.

Carawan thanked the parents of students involved in the program, and asked some of the students in attendance at the meeting to tell the school board about their experiences.

All of the students who spoke raved about how much fun participation in the program has been for them.

Likewise, all of the mentors that discussed the program agreed that it has helped them become more responsible as individuals.

The mentees who talked about their experiences said they have had fun making older friends who've engaged them in activities such as basketball, tie-dying t-shirts and reading books together.

One parent of both a mentor and a mentee praised the program, saying that it has helped her children grow as individuals and that it allows children to help other children “go through the same things they’ve gone through.”

This was the fourth year for the Mentorship Program in Saucon Valley schools, and all four years have witnessed tremendous growth, board members were told.

In the first year of the program, there were only two mentors and two mentees. In 2010-2011, however, there were 153 mentors and 183 mentees, meaning some mentors helped more than one student.

Carawan, whose other title is K-12 mental health specialist, trains the mentors along with Rachel Alderfer, a special education instructor.

At the training session, many topics are discussed, such as proper attire, showing up on time and how to pay attention to the mentee’s needs.

Refresher courses are also given throughout the year, especially for younger mentors, who are often given guidance by older mentors. The older mentors are able to help the younger mentors by going over real-life examples of situations with them, it was explained.