Lou Jones, Steele Curry and business people across North America may never know the full impact they’ve made by mentoring students who are “at risk” of quitting high school.

But they have an inkling. Research shows excellent, sometimes spectacular turnarounds in student behaviour. Anecdotally, stories from guidance counsellors, parents, students and mentors confirm that the time spent – just one hour a week – has exceptional value.

“It’s really about providing a good example and being there to listen,” says Jones, now working with her second protegé through the Alberta Mentor Foundation for Youth (AMFY).

“It’s an opportunity to work one-on-one and to help a young person get on track and achieve their full potential,” adds Curry, also on his second mentorship and a member of AMFY’s board of directors.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
Lou Jones, left, president of Bodysilk Laser Hair Centre, her assistant Tara Favreau and Steele Curry, chairman of Aeon Investment Inc., all know the rewards that come from pairing one-on-one with at-risk secondary school students.

Based in Calgary, the program was launched in 1994/95 by business and education leaders concerned about distressingly high Alberta school drop-out rates hovering near 25 per cent. In that first year a pilot project of 14 mentor/protegé matches began; this year the number has grown to nearly 140 matches in Calgary, Airdrie and Cochrane schools. Long term, AMFY hopes to expand across the province.

“Overwhelmingly we hear about deep levels of satisfaction,” says Myra Miller, AMFY’s executive director. “Students’ self-esteem improves, their attendance and grades improve and some of these relationships really take off. The mentor and protegé form a strong bond.

“And from the mentors we hear that they feel young again.”

Miller explains that in-school mentoring programs are extremely cost-effective, helping keep kids in school who might otherwise end up in dead-end jobs or become a social and financial burden.

However, it’s not just youth who benefit. The workplace wins as well, according to research from U.S. studies where in-school mentoring is “10 years ahead of Canada.”

A 2002 report by international consultant Susan Weinberger stated that employees who mentor students show increased levels of morale, greater satisfaction with work, greater pride and loyalty toward their company, a willingness to accept more challenges at work and home, a greater sense of responsibility, and the ability to get along better with spouses, children and significant others.

Jones, the owner of Bodysilk Laser Hair Centre in Calgary, calls the program a perfect fit for her busy schedule.

“Business people like us don’t have excuses not to do this,” she says. “Not only is it socially responsible, but we learn a lot about communication, and about inspiring and motivating people, which is what we do in business and management.”

Like all mentors, Jones commits to a one-hour school visit to see her protegé. She was pre-screened before entering the program and works with female students. AMFY provides a day-long training session and Jones can join other mentors in coffee-shop discussions to mull common issues. Mentors have the opportunity to attend information seminars on topics such as bullying, and receive a monthly call from full-time program staffers at AMFY.

Curry started mentoring in 1999 and was so impressed that he joined AMFY’s board in 2000. Formerly the president and CEO of Revelstoke Companies in Calgary and now chairman of Aeon Investment Inc., he explains that AMFY’s training program helps mentors prepare for most situations.

For example, protegés will test boundaries early in the relationship, often asking if the mentor can loan them money.

“We want the relationships to be personal, not financial,” says Curry, who notes that mentors will help protegés find part-time work.

Typically, students involved in the program have been identified by junior and senior high school counsellors as youth who are encountering barriers at school. Many students live in single-parent families that struggle financially, and where the parent often doesn’t have the time, energy or inclination to make sure their child keeps up with school work. The program does not accept students who have chronic substance abuse issues or psychological problems.

Curry worked with his first protegé, a recent immigrant from Kazakhstan, in Grade 11 and again in Grade 12. The student is now in his second year of engineering at the University of Calgary and meets with Curry for lunch every few months to touch base, maintain their friendship, and discuss a common passion – reading mystery novels.

The student, though bright and well supported by two working parents, was deemed at risk because his English was poor, a common reason for students to drop out.

Today, Curry works with a new protegé who is the complete opposite. The student has no family support, lives on his own and struggles with school and finances.

In practical terms, the first job of a mentor is to talk about school work, peer relationships and extra- curricular activities. Once established, they may just talk about what’s on the student’s mind, or they may help with homework, preparing a resume, project or essay.

“A common theme through most relationships is that the protegé will encounter a major problem and will be struggling with it,” adds Curry. “Ideally, the mentor helps them work through it, and helps develop an ability to make big decisions better.”

Those are the moments that are particularly satisfying, he adds. It’s when a mentor realizes he’s made an impact – maybe for a lifetime.

Web watch:
www.amfy.org