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Calendar
BINGO night
Date: April 14th
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: SunnyBrook Assisted Living
BINGO open to the community.
Brass Band
Time: 3:00 pm
Place: IWC Chapel
Eastern Iowa Brass Band plays in 1900's costumes bringing a taste of music from the past.
Blank ZOO in Mt Pleasant
Date: June 21
Time: 3pm - 4pm
Place: Civic Center meeting room at the Mt Pleasant Library
Blank Zoo Animals will be on display at the Civic Center Meeting Room. Come and learn about animals in the zoo.
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| Joke Telling
Telling jokes is good for kids! It increases their confidence, helps them to remember a story in order and relate it to others, and stimulates their thinking! Who would have thought something that all kids enjoy could be so useful!
What does a tree do when he is ready to go home?
He leaves.
What did the cowboy say when his dog left?
Doggone
What did one ear say to the other ear?
Between us we have brains!
What do you call two people who embarrass you in front of your friends?
Mum and Dad!
Why did the one-handed man cross the road?
To get to the second-hand shop!
How do you make a band stand?
Hide all their chairs!
Tip: Give your mentee a special notebook in which to collect their favorite jokes. It's great for a rainy day or when they are feeling under the weather and need cheering up!
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| Birthday and Anniversary | | |
 Happy Birthday 4/9 Erin Karlsgodt
4/14 Sheryl Cook
4/19 Bonnie Kremer
Happy Mentoring Anniversary
May 14- Pat Fricke and Syndney
May 14- Don Lamm and Sheldon |
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| Greetings! The weather is nice and people are planning picnics at East Lake. Can you think of a better way to enter into Spring?
There are many activities for you and your mentee to explore in the month of April and early May. Go to a park, learn to play horseshoes, plant flowers, take a hike at Geode State Park, or simply play a card game outside.
Whatever you chose to do this month, smile and have fun!
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| Phases of Relationships - part 1 | |  Mentoring Relationships: the phases
Every relationship has a beginning, middle and an end. A mentoring relationship is no different. Over the next four issues we will discuss the different stages of a mentoring relationship. You may identify your own relationship as falling into one phase or another, or you may circle back around to an earlier phase. This is all very normal.
In this issue we will discuss what the phases are and then in the next three issues we will go into more detail on each phase. Phase 1: Beginning This phase can feel awkward as you get to know one another. You may stay in the phase for a while, or move to the next phase and then back again as your mentee changes and grows. Common pitfalls at this stage include: - Getting off on the wrong foot
- Missed meetings and trust is not developed
- Mentee will not "open up" to you
- Mentors expect too much too soon
Phase 2: Building After you have been meeting for a few months, the relationship starts building trust and a friendship is developing. If this takes more time, that is okay too. You will start understanding what your mentee likes and dislikes. Common pitfalls at this stage include: - Mentee may start to become dependent on you
- You may feel like you need to "fix" your mentee's life
- Mentors may feel underappreciated
- Mentors may encounter boundary issues with parents of the mentee
Phase 3: Testing
If is normal for a mentee to start testing the boundaries of the relationship. Even if you have spent time explaining to your mentee that you will come back again, and outlined "rules" for your outings, they may still test you. It can be a confusing time for mentors and this usually happens after you have established a relationship. The mentee may start "missing" appointments, become sullen, tries to get away with things.
Common pitfalls in this stage include:
- Mentors feel less interested in the relationship
- Mentors may want to close the match
We have suggestions for each phase of your mentoring relationship and how to overcome the pitfalls. Stay tuned for the next three newsletters to learn how to survive and thrive in each phase. In the meantime, keep communicating with your mentee and with the Program Coordinator. Keeping doors open allows you to push through and enjoy your relationship with your mentee. |
| Coping with Stress | |  How do you cope with STRESS?
Sources of stress can include:
1. Restructured family life
* Divorce
* Division of household tasks
* Relationships with extended family and
friends
* Parenting roles and responsibilities
2. Loss
* Loss of job, spouse, security, family
life....
3. Change * Change in family roles * Moving (schools, jobs, homes)
No matter where the stress comes from... it is there. Thankfully there are ways that we can reduce the stress in our lives, and we can share these techniques with our mentee.
One way to reduce stress is to take charge of your life. You can take charge by learning to relax, slow down, control your anger, control your environment, understand yourself, and schedule recreation.
Relax by sitting in a quiet place and thinking of nothing (or try to think of nothing), listen to music and release the tension in your muscles. Control your environment including: taking on one task at a time, schedule activities so you don't have to rush, balance your work and play. Slow down your life by eating slowly, walking slowly, and getting enough rest.
Control your anger by telling someone how you feel before you lose control, walk away from a situation until you cool off, respect another person's right to have a different opinion. Schedule recreation in your life! Go somewhere you enjoy with your mentee or a friend. Understand yourself by talking over your feelings and concerns with a trusted friend (your mentee has you to talk to), list your good points and post them where you can see them (also a wonderful suggestion for your mentee). Lastly, build a close relationship with people who make you feel important and appreciated.
Do these sound familiar, maybe they are ways you already are building into your relationship with your mentee or friend. If not, try these stress reducing techniques this month and let us know if they work for you.
Just Breathe! |
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