Mercy Home’s Friends First mentoring program has changed the lives of countless young people since its inception in 1987. That’s why Mercy Home is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new school-based program that will give us the opportunity to impact even more young men and women.
Friends First already featured a community-based program, where mentors and mentees participate in fun outings in the community, and a workplace-based program, where mentors from TransUnion and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath meet regularly with mentees in their respective workplace. All of our mentors, regardless of which program they participate, are well-screened and well-trained volunteers who regularly engage young people ages 9-17 in fun activities that help them experience new things, develop skills, increase self-esteem, and improve social relationships.
This year, Friends First is partnering with Rowe Middle School in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Sessions began in September and will run through the school year. Mentoring will take place at the school every other week with 10 students in fifth through eighth grade as part of the school’s afterschool program line-up.
Katie Gunter, manager of the Friends First program, explained that partnering with a middle school was intentional.
“It’s a very influential time of life,” she said. “I think it’s great for them to get some guidance and have a positive adult role model to help them navigate a challenging time in childhood. And our programs are more prevention-focused, so that tends to start at a younger age.”
Once plans were put in place for the new program, our Friends First team partnered with our digital marketing team to get the word out. Through that, all the mentor positions were filled quickly.
Friends First has held the first two sessions, and the program is already off to a great start. Each session begins with an icebreaker activity, like minute-to-win-it challenges. That quickly helped the mentees get involved in the program.
I think it’s great for them to get some guidance and have a positive adult role model to help them navigate a challenging time in childhood.
– Katie Gunter
“It was definitely very high energy,” Gunter said. “I think it got the kids who were a little skeptical about the mentoring thing to realize it could be a lot of fun.”
In the first few sessions, the mentor/mentee matches also participate in get-to-know-you and relationship-building activities. These activities allowed everyone to share more about themselves, their values, and their interests. It also gave everyone a chance to see how much they have in common and break down barriers between the mentors and mentees.
Gunter is hoping the school-based program will make as much of an impact as Friends First other programs have.
“I’m hoping they build strong relationships and strong bonds,” she said. “I also hope we’re able to build a sense of belonging among all the mentees and with the group as a whole. And that it would carry over even outside of the mentoring room, that the relationships with their mentors will build their confidence and grow their social emotional skills. I hope the mentees feel like they have someone that cares about them.”
This new program is already off to a great start! One of the mentors, Robin, sent Gunter the following message about her mentee, Emi.
“Thank you for my mentee, Emi. She is a great kid—even though she told me some of my dance moves were ‘cringe.’ At 4 p.m., she told me she wished it was 3 p.m. so we could have more time together.”
It’s wonderful to see our matches already making great connections and we look forward to seeing all this program achieves over the school year.
Thank you to our Friends First team and our mentors who continue to make a tremendous difference in the lives of young people in our community. We can’t wait to see the impact of this program!
For more information about Friends First or to become a mentor, contact Katie Gunter at katgun@mercyhome.org or visit the Friends First website.
