Frequently Asked Questions

A mentor help young people bring out strengths that are already there.

• What is a Mentor?

• Why should I become a mentor?

• How do I go about matching my gifts with the right mentoring organization?

• How do I contact your organization?

Q. What is a Mentor?
A. A mentor is an adult who, along with parents, provides young people with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and constructive example. Mentors are good listeners, people who care, people who want to help young people bring out strengths that are already there.

Q. Why should I become a mentor?
A. Your community is better off when you take time to mentor a young person. According to the National Mentoring Partnership, mentored teens are 46% less likely to get into drugs, 59% more likely to get better grades, and 73% more likely to raise their goals. The results? Instead of becoming juvenile crime statistics, mentored young people receive guidance to make the decisions that help them grow to be valuable employees and citizens who strengthen our businesses and our communities.

There are many ways to mentor -- long-term or short  and a variety of mentoring organizations already in existence throughout Alabama. As a mentor, you can also help connect children with the other four America's Promise Fundamental Resources: safe places and structured activities during non-school hours, a healthy start, a marketable skill through effective education and an opportunity to give back through community service.


Q. How do I go about matching my gifts with the right mentoring organization?
A. First, you need to think about how you want to work with a young person. According to the National Mentoring Partnership, you should consider:

• The types of activities that interest you ...helping youth develop a specific skill, pursue an interest, learn about a subject, or just getting to know them and being their friend;
• The age and number of youth you want to work with... elementary, middle school, or high school age children; one youth or several - for example, mentoring one child one-on-one versus coaching a group of young people; and
• The amount of time you have for a youth ... once a week? Once or twice a month?

Once you have determined these three elements, then you simply refer to the list provided to you by Anchorage Mentoring, and match your gifts of time, interest and love with the mentoring organization in your area that is best suited to your gifts. It is important to be realistic about the responsibilities involved with mentoring a young person. If you are not sure about mentoring a young person for at least six months, consider trying a shorter-term volunteer opportunity. Keep in mind, however, what one mentor told the National Mentoring Partnership ... "You don't know in advance how rewarding it is going to be, so you are worried about the responsibility of giving your time consistently. The irony is that once I starting doing it, I didn't want to miss a session."



Q. How do I contact your organization?
A. For more information about our alliance contact:
Shannon Shea
Phone: 907-263-2091
Fax: 907-263-2099
Email: info@anchoragementors.org