Cultural Mentors

*See The Program page for application forms to become a cultural mentor.

A cultural mentor team is a group of 4 to 10 volunteers who come together in order to befriend and help and new refugee family. They are a personal guide to a culture that is new and often strange. Most importantly, mentor teams are trustworthy and loving friends. Being a cultural mentor is not easy, but it is very rewarding.

Time Commitment:

• 6 months
• Around 16-35 hours every month per team is the goal. With this number of hours, LFS and the family can take full advantage of the Matching Grant program. This number will change depending on the family size and their level of need.

Role:

• Provide furnishings
• Provide initial basic clothing and necessities
• Assist in financial literacy
• Community orientation
• Transportation to initial health screening
• Register kids in school
• Assist adults in learning English
• Prepare adults to obtain and retain employment

Bold = Required

Not bold = Optional

Mentoring Timeline:

Linkage Visit—What is it?

• Meet and get to know the refugee family
• Meet the MARC intern
• Set boundaries and expectations
• Ask the family questions while the translator is present
• Discover needs and desires
• Schedule your next visit

Follow-ups and Timesheets:

Every month or so the MARC intern will e-mail or call the team leader to find out what you have been doing with the family and to ask how everything is going. Please respond briefly to the questions and ask any questions that you may have.

In addition, every month each team member will be asked to submit their volunteer hours, mileage, and donations. You can do this online on the Care Guide. This record is EXTREMELY important for LFS’s funding and the money that refugee families in the Matching Grant program receive. PLEASE submit your hours every month when they are requested.

Closure Meeting:

At the end of your 6-month mentoring commitment, the MARC intern will request to meet with the team (at minimum the team leader) to talk about your experience, what was difficult, things that worked well, advice for future mentors, your feedback on how we can make the program better, and what your next steps might be. The closure meeting does not involve the refugee family, and teams are encouraged to continue their relationship with them. The only thing that changes is that we will no longer ask you for updates or time sheets. We are still here to support you if you have questions or problems.

The Team Leader:

One member of each mentor team will be the team leader. He or she is the point person for communication. The team leader is the main avenue for DRM and LFS to contact the team. He or she is responsible for passing along information from DRM and LFS, sending updates to the MARC intern, and in general organizing and motivating the other team members.

Fundamental Mentor Roles:

• Being a friend (with professional boundaries, not “touchy-feely”)
• Having fun with the family
• Valuing and seeking understanding of family’s culture
• Teaching English
• Teaching financial literacy
• Teaching practical life skills
• Teaching about American culture
• Informing DRM or LFS about any problems or concerns
• Dressing comfortably and modestly Submitting the time and donations record to LFS monthly

Optional Mentor Roles:

• Providing transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping, etc.
• Teaching how to use the Denver RTD bus system
• Registering children for school
• Giving food, clothing, furniture, and other items
• Helping to create resumes, practicing for interviews, and finding jobs
• Taking family to do activities in the city like going to the zoo, park, library, museums, and sporting events

Prohibited Mentor Roles:

• Encouraging a move to a different apartment
• Transferring children to new schools
• Communicating directly with the case manager
• Giving money, medicine, medical or legal advice
• Sharing medical or financial issues with people outside of the program
• Applying for or attempting to answer questions regarding R&P, TANF, Matching Grant, CARES, Medicaid, or food stamps
• Being alone with children or a refugee of the opposite gender
• Fraternization prohibited
• Transporting refugees without a valid driver’s license and auto insurance
• Anything that gives the family a crutch rather than working towards self-sufficiency
• Inviting refugees to your place of worship without their own initiative (they ask to go/be involved)
• Proselytizing