Action Tips: Start a Peer Mentoring Program at Your School

Starting a new school is hard, especially if you are new in town. Help incoming freshman and new students in your school by starting a mentoring program. 

Brainstorm

Get a committee together and think of an outline for the program. Use our example as a starting point.

• Goal: To have older students help younger students become familiar with the school. 
• How: Recruit students to be mentors by advertising around school.
• When: Mentoring program can be during school hours so everyone can participate.
• New Students: Every new student and freshman would get a mentor to help them throughout the year.
• Result: Their high school experience will be better.

Pitch

You have to get permission from your principal first. Impress him or her by making a power point presentation of the plan.

Sign Ups

Advertise by posting posters or handing out flyers around school. You can also send a Facebook invite to all of your classmates explaining what you’re doing and why.

Mentor your Mentors 

Once everyone is signed up, have a mentor training session. Some activities can be:

• Ice breakers
• Scavenger hunts to see how well they know the school.
• Give a mentor a situation that would likely happen to see how he or she could handle it.

Make sure to emphasize that a mentor:

• Listens
• Does not judge
• Knows his or her way around

Start it

Give freshman and new students a mentor. Give them a calendar of orientation days and fun events.

Other Tips

• If a mentor and student don’t get along, just switch them up!
• Don’t make the mentor meetings a total bore. Create a fun environment that will make people want to come back.
• If you want to join a mentorship program or need extra help starting your own, check these links out:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• National Mentoring Center
• National Mentoring Partnership

Tell us what you're doing. GO