FAQs for Mentors

FAQs for Mentors

Q: What do I need to become a mentor?

A: We are looking for adult mentors, either active or retired, with some combination of professional and life experiences to share with high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors who will soon be pursuing post-secondary education and career opportunities beyond.

You will also need a Criminal Offender Record Inquiry (CORI) review to be completed. This takes only about 10 minutes and is done at the main office at CCHS). Please click here for more information.

Q: What do I get out of my participation in this program?

A: We do not offer any formal compensation; nevertheless, there are many reasons to participate:

1. You will get to know one of today’s high school students from a cross-section of the student body at CCHS – each student with a unique story, but all of whom have made a serious commitment to the program. Getting to know any of these students has the capacity enhance your life in immeasurable ways.

2. You will help guide a student on a path to success. By talking about and sharing what worked (and didn’t work) in your own personal and professional life, and by answering students’ questions about what it takes to succeed and achieve career satisfaction, you are offering these students a unique opportunity that they simply cannot get from classroom instruction alone.

3. Your involvement in CCCC will connect you with other people and resources at CCHS and other professionals within the Concord-Carlisle community, which may be a significant and personally rewarding opportunity. You may even discover a new interest as a result of your mentoring experience!

Q: Will I be matched up with an individual student or a group?

A: Mentors will be paired up with an individual student. You and your mentee will get to know each other really well during the time you work together, and hopefully the relationship will last beyond just the time spent in the program.

Q: How will I know what to talk about with the students?

A: We will provide you with a Possible Discussion Topics outline with suggestions that you can use to guide you in developing topic areas to cover on a session-by-session basis; within each topic we offer a list of questions and possible discussion points that you can use to keep the conversation moving. We provide these to you as suggested guidelines only; you can feel free to come up with your own agenda of topics that you intend to cover, in consultation with the student.

Q: Where and when will we meet?

A: The mentor and student will create the schedule of meeting times and will meet either at the mentor’s place of business or at CCHS. Meetings will likely be held from 3:00 – 5:00 PM on school days; however, mentors and students with more flexible schedules are free to meet at other times. Students with back-to-back free periods can use that time to meet with their mentor (factoring in transportation time and 90-120 minutes for the meeting). Students are not permitted to miss class to meet with their mentors.

Q: How do I know which student I will be mentoring?

A: We will send you information about your student in the weeks before the program. We are asking the students to make contact the first contact with you. If you haven't heard from your student after a week or so of learning your match, we ask that you let Steve Wells (swells@concordcarlisle.org) know, so that he can follow up with the student.

Q: What if I have a problem or issue with a student that need to be addressed?

A: Please contact Steve Wells (swells@concordcarlisle.org) if you have any problems or concerns with a student or with any other aspect of the program.

Q: Does the program have a Facebook page?

A: Yes, you can visit our Facebook page by clicking here.