| 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. How do I become a mentor with Mentoring Today?
A. All of our new mentors are students at American University's Washington College of Law,
and are members of the student organization, Students United for Youth Justice.
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 at New Beginnings Youth Development Center and reintegrating into the
Washington, DC, community. There are currently only boys at New Beginnings.
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 4-6 months of the mentoring relationship,
mentoring pairs will meet at New Beginnings every Thursday evening (Students United 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. Students United provides transportation to and from New Beginnings. Once in the
community, mentors can use public transportation.
Q. Does Mentoring Today pay mentors for their services?
A. No. All mentors in our program are volunteers.
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.
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 New Beginnings Youth Development Center.
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