October 24, 2024

A mentor can be a lifelong friend, a coach, a listening ear, or a guide for a child who needs help navigating the world. Many young people in Chicago are surrounded by negative influences and could benefit from having positive role models in their lives.

That’s where Mercy Home’s Friends First mentoring program comes in. They connect children and young adults with trusted mentors who provide support, guidance, and encouragement to their mentees. And we offer mentoring programs that take place out in the community, in schools, or at Chicago-area workplaces. 

As part of the workplace mentorship program, Friends First once again partnered with the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, matching their employees with seventh and eighth grade students from St. Malachy School in Chicago for the school year. This is the third year that the company and the school have partnered. 

The program began on October 17 and runs through May. But before the mentees enjoyed their first outing with their mentors, they attended a mentee training session at Mercy Home.

The purpose of the training was to convey to the young people how their mentors can play a vital role in their lives, the benefits of having a mentor, and tips on how to communicate effectively with the adult volunteers.

Most importantly, the mentees learned that during the program they will improve their sense of belonging and identity, as well as building their self-confidence and social and emotional skills.

Katie Gunter, Mercy Home’s Friends First Mentoring program manager, and Carlos Martinez, our Friends First Mentoring coordinator, hosted the training sessions.

“We want to help [them] build confidence,” Martinez said. “[Along with] their social relational skills [and] how [they] interact and deal with people.”

There were seven returning mentees who were familiar with how the program works, but some of the mentees had never had a mentor before.

During the training, the students gained a better understanding of the role of a mentor. For example, a mentor’s role is not to buy them gifts or be their personal assistant or therapist. Rather, a mentor is there to help them work toward their goals, provide fun experiences for them to enjoy together, advocate for them, teach them life skills, and more.

In addition, they learned what a typical mentorship session is like. The mentees will be going to the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath office site twice a month, and will be share learn about cooking, careers, and healthy relationships. There will be opportunities for the mentees to interact with other mentors and participate in team-building activities as well.

“They just have a lot of fun with those activities, and I think they also get a big kick out of coming downtown to Faegre Drinker,” Martinez said. “The law firm has a beautiful view of the lake.”

Last year, John Hamel mentored a student from St. Malachy School as part of the workplace-based mentoring program. He had a fruitful experience watching his mentee develop his confidence through the variety of activities they had.

“Friends First had a lot of structured activities, and we got to participate in a lot of team-building exercises,” he said.

In the beginning of the program, Hamel’s mentee was shy, but throughout the year, his self-esteem improved.

“The most rewarding part was seeing my mentee develop a lot of confidence,” he said. “It’s been really awesome.”

Towards the end of the session, the kids made a wish list of activities they want to do with their mentors. And to build camaraderie, the kids played a fun game of telephone with each other.

We are so grateful for our mentors who give our young people the guidance, support, life skills, and exposure to new experiences that they will always treasure. Special thanks to David Williams, a Mercy Home Board of Regents member and Partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, for making this experience possible for the young people at St. Malachy School. 

If you are interested in becoming a mentor and want to learn more, email Katie Gunter at katgun@mercyhome.org or visit the Friend’s First webpage.