|
Upcoming Events:
|
Click here to check out Mentor Kenosha & Racine's calendar of events Need something to do with your mentee? Get out of the heat and check out the newest addition to the UW-Parkside gallery in the brand-new, state-of-the-art, Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities, aka "the Rita." More information here.
SAVE THESE DATES:
Introduction to Mentoring: August 15, 2012 Mentoring Certificate Program: Oct. 5, Oct. 19, and Nov. 2, 2012 6th Annual Mentoring Conference (Unlocking Youth Potential through Mentoring): January 18, 2013
Please click here to visit our website for more details on any of our events. |
Quick Links:
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Center for Community Partnerships
Mentor Kenosha & Racine
Mentor Application
  
*Click on the icon to be automatically directed to Mentor Kenosha & Racine's social media sites!*
|
|
Mentor Kenosha & Racine Staff:
|
Crista Kruse
Manager of Mentor Kenosha & Racine
(262) 595-2604 kruse@uwp.edu
|
|
Greetings,
We hope you're enjoying the hot summer in Wisconsin this year. Now is a great time to get back in touch with your mentee if you haven't done so yet this summer. It isn't too late to become a community-based mentor. Contact us today if you're interested.
If you're planning on continuing to mentor your mentee this fall, contact your mentoring organization right away and let them know. This will make it much easier for the programs to locate your mentee come fall!
|
|
|
RSVP of Kenosha Welcomes a New Volunteer Mentor Liaison
 Mentor Kenosha & Racine is proud to announce that one of our certified mentoring programs, RSVP of Kenosha, has added yet another mentoring advocate to their elite team. Dr. Janet Koroscik is volunteering her time as the new mentor liaison. She will aid in the process of matching and the coordination of mentors in the Kenosha Unified School District.
Her experience will truly bring RSVP of Kenosha to the next level. Dr. Janet Koroscik brings a diverse background and extensive experience to the RSVP Mentor Program. She earned her Bachelor's degree in education and psychology from Carthage College and her Master's degree in Educational Leadership, Administration and Supervision from National-Louis University. Dr. Koroscik completed her doctoral coursework at Nova Southeastern University in the area of Educational Leadership. She has served as a School Superintendent, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, Elementary School Principal, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Mentor Coordinator, Director of a WI-Department of Public Instruction (DPI) educator license renewal center, an Educational Consultant, and an Adjunct Instructor for both Carthage College and UW-Parkside. Recently retired, Dr. K (as she was affectionately known) is excited to be able to put her skills and expertise to use in the RSVP Mentor Program.
Please, join us in welcoming Janet to our team!
|
|
Back by Popular Demand: Introduction to Mentoring
It's that time of the year! Back-to-school is around the corner, and now is the time to get trained to be a mentor. Join us for a FREE Introduction to Mentoring on August 15th. For more details on the morning session, click here. For more details on the late afternoon session, click here. To register, click here. |
|
Meet a Mentor: "Paul M."
After moving to Racine for a new job, Paul M. found that he had extra time before the start of his new job. He thought that mentoring would be a good way to not only carry out his passion for community outreach, but also to be exposed to the challenges that his new community faced.
Paul was paired with Carrie, a high school senior in Racine Unified. Sharing several hobbies and talents, Paul and Carrie instantly connected and had an easy time getting to know one another. They spent the fall months playing basketball, going to movies, and frequenting local farmer's markets.
Over the next couple of months, Paul's and Carrie's relationship strengthened to one that involved mutual respect and care. As December approached, Paul noticed that Carrie never wore a winter coat. Assuming that Carrie didn't have one, as an early holiday gift, Paul gave Carrie a down-feather jacket. Carrie, after sharing with Paul his "guilty pleasure" of being fond of brand names, instantly loved the navy L.L. Bean coat.
As the new year approached, Paul noticed that Carrie was no longer wearing his jacket. After Carrie told Paul that it was stolen, Paul planned to buy him another one. However, when Carrie showed up to their next meeting with new shoes, Paul couldn't help but be somewhat skeptical. He knew that inquiring more about the stolen coat might jeopardize the trust that the two had built. But he also noticed that Carrie began to miss their scheduled meetings and seemed distant.
After a very "diplomatic" conversation, Carrie admitted that he sold the coat so he could purchase his new shoes. He revealed that he lied because he thought that Paul would be upset and would no longer want to continue their mentor-mentee relationship. After Carrie saw that while Paul did not approve of the lie but was not angry at Carrie, Carrie's trust in Paul deepened. Not normally being comfortable with sharing his feelings, it took Carrie effort to tell Paul about his deepening respect. At the same time, Paul admired Carrie's strength to tell the truth and to reveal his emotions.
After Carrie graduated, he went on to attend UW-Oshkosh. Both Carrie and Paul maintain contact and see one another on Holidays. They like to discuss future plans, classes, and adapting to college life. They both now share their stories of how selling and lying about the coat led to the strengthening of their relationship.
|
|
Ask the Mentoring Expert
Greg: It's become very clear that my mentee is being bullied in school. What can I do about it?
Dear Greg,
Bullying is a sad reality, and constant bullying can adversely affect an at-risk youth. A nonprofit organization is currently working to create a game mentees can play with their mentors to help prevent bullying, and how to manage it if it's ongoing. It's not quite ready for distribution, so stay tuned because we will be forwarding the information on once it's available. Until then, here's a list of things you should and shouldn't do.
DO:
Talk to your mentee about the situation. Make it clear that you're there to help, that it isn't their fault, and offer them your sympathy.
Ask your mentee to document the bullying. This will be helpful when reporting the nature of any incidents to the school.
Strategize. Work together to come up with the best way to handle the problem. Be persistent. Remember that bullying will not be solved overnight. Reassuure your mentee that the problem can be handled as privately as possible.
Figure out school policies. It's very likely that the mentee's school already has practices in place to deal with bullying situations. If not, try to schedule a meeting with the school counselor. Don't give up. Your mentee probably doesn't have anyone else working in their favor.
DON'T:
Blame your mentee. Don't tell them that it's their fault their being bullied. Tell them it can happen to anyone. Don't assume they did something to provoke the bullying.
Encourage your mentee to retaliate, or hurt the person bullying them. This could get your mentee suspended, or even worse, expelled.
Expect a solution immediately. Solving a bullying problem, especially if it's been happening for quite some time, isn't going to go away immediately. Be patient.
Contact the parents of the child bullying your mentee. This is beyond your scope of responsibility. Instead, you may want to make sure the school counselor or your mentoring organization is aware of the situation so you can get advice about how to provide support for your mentee.
For more information about how you can stop bullying, visit http://www.antibullying.net/ or http://www.stopbullying.gov/
Do you have a question you'd like to ask the mentoring expert? Email mentorkr@uwp.edu today! |
|
Mentoring Tips & Tools
- General Mentoring Tips from the TeamMates Mentoring Program
- What's Hot, What's Not?
- More information on bullying and your mentee:
|
|
Upward and Onward
As the end of my VISTA term nears, I'd like to thank all of you for making my year of service both successful and memorable. It's been a great learning experience, and I'd like to think that all of you aided in making my achievements possible in one way or another. As for my future plans, I will be attending the University of Wisconsin Law School come fall. My VISTA year of service will be a vital component to my success in school, and I look forward to utilizing the skills I've gained throughout the year in my coursework. Thanks again for your constant support, and best of luck to all of you in the future. Should any of you like to keep in touch, please feel free to email me at ldevine@wisc.edu.
Sincerely,
Lauren Devine
|
|
Inspirational Quote of the Month
"Be the change you want to see in the world." -Gandhi |
|
|
|
Thank you for taking the time to read our monthly newsletter. Keep an eye out for next month's edition of The Mentoring Messenger.
Is there something about mentoring you want to know and we're not covering? Email mentorkr@uwp.edu and we will do our best to answer your questions.
Sincerely, |
|
Mentor Kenosha & Racine
|
|
|
|
