Alongside is always looking for Christian women who are caring and compassionate to become mentors to single mothers in our community. A mentor is someone who offers guidance, support, and advice based on their own experiences.
As a mentor, your role is to listen to your mentee’s goals, challenges, and ideas and to provide feedback and suggestions that help your mentee through her parenting journey. If you are interested in more information, see the Mentor FAQ below.
Ways to Volunteer
FAQ About Being a Mentor
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As a mentor, you will offer guidance support and advice based on your own experiences and knowledge. Your role is to listen to your mentee’s goals, challenges and ideas and provide feedback and suggestions that will help your mentee navigate her parenting journey. The heart of Alongside is about these mentoring relationships becoming trusted friendships
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We ask that mentors meet with their mentees at least one time a month. In between visits we ask that mentors check in with their mentees with a text or a call. Both mentors and mentees are asked to commit to the program for at least a year, but our hope is that these relationships become long lasting friendships.
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Many of our Alongside families have transportation issues. We try to meet in locations that are close to the mentee. You may pick a park, library, coffee shop, or restaurant for meetings.
Some mentors and mentees are comfortable with meeting at the mentee’s home. This can be an option if both parties are comfortable with that location.
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We try to pair mentors and mentees so that they have things in common. During the first initial meetings, you will be getting to know each other. It will be like sharing coffee with a new friend. After your mentee has been in the program for six months, Alongside will then ask your mentee to begin thinking about outcome areas they might want to work on. Mentors are there to encourage and assist their mentees with those outcomes.
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All Alongside families are informed that we are a Christian ministry. There are no obligations for a mentee to attend church or do a Bible study to become a mentee and receive our help. As a mentor, you are sharing things in your life that are important to you as you develop a friendship with your mentee. This, of course, includes your faith in Christ!
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The next step is to contact us and let us know that you are interested in becoming a mentor. We will let you know about upcoming training programs for becoming a mentor.