Putnam County Schools are in need of 121 volunteer mentors to support the graduating class of 2023.
VITAL Personal Learning Supervisor Sam Brooks said tnAchieves created these positions to encourage seniors after high school, providing them with personalized guidance. Brooks said this is a small commitment for volunteers but causes a huge impact on students.
“Sometimes if you just get a student start in the right direction,” “A lot of folks come from families that don’t have anyone in the family that’s gone to a higher education institution to try and get any type of degree. And then what happens is they go, and they break that chain. ”
Brooks said mentors will have about four to six students that they reach out to and help guide them through the process of working towards higher education. He said the most important facet to be a mentor is to have a drive in helping the students succeed.
Mentors will attend an hour of training, and then simply have to keep in touch with mentees.
“When I first got involved with this as a teacher this was just something we did as part of the VITAL program and just wanted t help out and you see it as, ‘Well here’s something else I’m going to have to spend some time on,’ but then you sit down with your four to six students,” Brooks said. “And you get to talk to them, and know them, and know their family, and it becomes a very worthwhile, and time well spent for you.”
The deadline to apply to become a mentee is October 21. All mentors are required to be over the age of 21, undergo a standard background check, and complete a required training.
The post Putnam Schools Seeking Volunteer Mentors For tnAchieves Program appeared first on News Talk 94.1/AM 1600.