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How Exactly do the Mentorship Sessions Work?
First, you reach out to us (see our Contact/Volunteer tab) on behalf of any group of youths that you believe will benefit from our mentorship sessions. We typically work with elementary schools and after-school programs, but we are open to mentoring any type of kids and teens group.
Second, we schedule an one-hour mentorship session with the group at the group's after-school program, school, or any space where the group will be! MMF will be in touch prior to the scheduled mentorship session to confirm the number of mentees anticipated at the session, what type of program the youths are especially interested in (see below), and any other logistics to ensure the mentorship session goes off without a hitch.
Third, on the date of the scheduled mentorship session, at least two MMF volunteers will be present to run the session. MMF will bring all supplies, and handle set up and clean up.
Fourth, we schedule future sessions. As MMF's mission is to empower youths through meaningful connections, MMF will continue to hold regular mentorship sessions at the partner site and schedule accordingly. MMF never repeats a mentorship session at a partner site!
Types of Mentorship Sessions
Wellness
Our wellness programs include yoga, making sensory bottles and other calming tools, playing "Nutritional Jeopardy" (a MMF-designed game comprised of nutritional science questions), and making recipes beneficial to both body and mind (many of which are based on the book This is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo MD).
Collaborative Programs
MMF's collaborative programs engage our mentees to work together toward a shared goal, all while having fun. Improvisation and team-building games are one type of collaborative sessions we share with our students. Our mentees also love physical teamwork activities, such as “Ultimate Spy"—a game requiring teams to communicate and strategize— hacky sack, and many more!
Makerspace
In our makerspace sessions, our goal is to unleash our mentees’ creativity and ignite their curiosity through hands-on building. For example, using ordinary household materials instead of throwing them away— such as paper towel rolls, cardboard, tissue boxes and broken rubber bands—we guide our students to build marble runs celebrating when, after the inevitable trial and error, the marble successfully careens from top to bottom. We also help students create cardboard wands, swords and armor, just as we did when they were their age, as well as various kinds of instruments— guitars, maracas, drums, and harmonicas.
Problem Solving
We loved working through spontaneous problems when we competed on Odyssey of the Mind teams. There are 3 types of spontaneous problems (verbal, hands-on, and a combination of both), and teams must solve each on the spot, requiring quick thinking, teamwork, and creative problem-solving. Puzzling is another type of problem-solving session we hold. Puzzles force us to slow down and think, having a calming effect and helping us to be more mindful.
Art
Origami and art are practices in mindfulness. Origami involves many steps and it can get really frustrating, but we counsel our mentees to take breaths, have patience and to let go of self judgment. Our goal is to show our mentees that through patience and practice, they can achieve something really beautiful. For our art projects, we like to help our students make seasonal creations, like snowflakes with tape and water colors in December, paper plate feathered birds in Spring, and "grateful" pumpkins in the Fall.
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