| 2309 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE • Washington, DC 20020 (202) 678-9001 (office) • (202) 678-9005 (fax) • info@mentoringtoday.org |
Mentoring ToDAY is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Q. What is the age range of the youth Mentoring Today serves?
A. To be eligible for our program, youth must be between 16 and 21 years old.
Q. Do you serve both girls and boys?
A. No. Mentoring Today serves only boys. We provide services to youth who are incarcerated in
Oak Hill Youth Center and reintegrating into the Washington, DC, community. There are currently
only boys residing in Oak Hill Youth Center.
Q. Do you accept female mentors?
A. Yes. The most important qualities in a mentor are commitment, compassion, and
understanding. Research shows that the success of a mentoring relationship depends on
compatible personalities and commitment to the relationship rather than on the mentor's race or
gender.
Q. What is the time commitment required to mentor with your organization?
A. Three hours per week for one year. For the first four months of the mentoring relationship,
mentoring pairs will meet at Oak Hill Youth Center every Thursday evening (Mentoring Today will
provide transportation). Once a mentee is released, the mentor continues to meet with him every
Thursday evening at our center and in the community.
Q. Have mentors in your program ever experienced any problems with safety?
A. Mentoring Today carefully trains its mentors to maintain safety at all times. Since Mentoring
Today began offering services in 2006, we have not experienced any problems with safety involving
our mentoring pairs.
Q. Do I need a car to become a mentor?
A. No. Mentors must be comfortable using DC’s Metro and bus system. Mentoring Today provides
transportation to and from Oak Hill Youth Center. Once mentees are released back into the
community, we strongly encourage mentoring pairs to use public transportation for their meetings.
Q. Does Mentoring Today pay mentors for their services?
A. No. All mentors in our program are volunteers. However, Mentoring Today pays for all
mentoring activities, such as sports events, dinners, movies, bowling, plays, etc.
Q. I have a criminal record. Will this prevent me from volunteering with Mentoring Today?
A. Maybe. Mentoring Today is required to run background checks on all mentor applicants, but a
criminal record does not automatically prevent an applicant from becoming a mentor.
Q. Does Mentoring Today offer training for mentors?
A. Yes. Mentoring Today requires each mentor to attend ten hours of initial training. This training
takes place during weekend hours. We also offer in-service training to support mentors during their
commitment.
Q. I know a young man who could really benefit from having a mentor. Can Mentoring
Today provide him one?
A. Yes, but only if he has been committed to the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services
and is currently a resident of Oak Hill Youth Center.
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