GOALS Create a sense of community between youth who face similar issues Inspire them to embrace life’s challenges, and let them know they are not alone in their struggles. Create lasting mentorships to help mentees through transitions Guidance & Inspiration Foster social emotional learning skills and coping strategies Being able to cope on their own, and personally advocate to help them get the Most out of Life Prior to the start of meetings with their mentor, mentees will be able to design what they want their typical mentor meetings to look like (whether that be having someone to vent with, ask advice about the high school process (typically for middle school aged mentees), help with homework, play a game, etc) so they can be matched with their ideal mentor. Mentors (who may be abled or disabled) will be trained prior to meeting with their mentees on common issues youth with conditions face, how to interact with younger children, and how to steer conversations more positively and productively to avoid self depreciation, and improve the mentee's sense of self. As a cumulative project for the end of this year's program, mentors will help mentees create a biography about their condition, how it affects them, how they are separate from their condition (ie “my condition does not define me”) and what they hope for in their future. Mentors can space this out however they see fit as long as it is done by the end of the program. Length will vary from pair to pair, and is not the most important part. Quality over quantity. A permission slip to be signed by parents (stating that any sharing will be for educational purposes) will be created as far as sharing mentee information (on social media, with schools, etc). Should any parents feel uncomfortable they will have the option of having their child's project shared anonymously (without name and/or picture), or not having it shared on socials at all. At the end mentors and mentees will also fill out a form about their experience so I can evaluate what they’ve personally gained.

FAQs What are your fees? Our program is completely free! Who is Eligible to become a mentor? Anyone aged 14 to 19 can apply to be a mentor. Mentorship is not guaranteed based on application, and mentees. Who is Eligible to become a mentee? Anyone 9 to 13 years old with a chronic condition and/or disability can apply (parents can also apply for their children) to become a mentee How long is the program? Approximately 3 months. Can I get community service hours for participation? Yes! Should you need signatures or references we could set that up more specifically. Have your own question? We'll get back to you as soon as possible! Email Subject Your message Send Thanks for submitting!