TeamMates Partnership Meeting Announced

Registration is now available for the 2012 TeamMates Partnership Meeting on Tuesday, July 24th in Kearney, Nebraska at the Younes Convention Center. This meeting is open to everyone – mentors, board members, coordinators, and any TeamMates supporter. From 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, attendees will have the opportunity to increase their knowledge of mentoring, youth, and TeamMates.

Find the link to register HERE. 

The day includes a keynote address from Dr. Jean Rhodes, 3 breakout sessions, lunch, awards, and an inspirational closing.

Breakout Sessions Include:

• Fundraising Best Practices
• Generation iY
• High School to Post-Secondary Plans
• Bullying – How Mentors can Help
• Recruiting Mentors and Marketing Your Program
• Strengths/Assets
• Build Your Own TeamMates Chapter Website
• Board/Leadership Development

More information is available online at teammates.org/news/partnership.

We hope to see many people in Kearney in July!

 

TeamMates News Updates

Columbus, NE – Donation Awarded

The Cornhusker Power Goodwill Fun trustees recently awarded $4,273 to 26 organizations in Columbus. TeamMates was one of the organizations. TeamMates of Columbus recieved $200 to cover the cost of background checks. Read the article here from the Columbus Telegram.

Gothenburg, NE – Business Challenge Winner Announced

Steve and Joan Windrum of Gothenburg were awarded the 2011-2012 TeamMates Business Challenge traveling trophy in Gothenburg, NE. The contest was open to all local businesses and was a tool for recruiting business employees to become mentors with the mentoring program. Read more from the Gothenburg Times here.

McCook, NE – End of Year Celebration
The mentors and mentees in McCook gathered last Thursday to celebrate the end of the year. A highlight of the event was a scholarship presentation to a mentee who is graduating from McCook and attending nursing school next year. She has been matched with her mentee for 9 years!!! Her mentor said that a good mentor is someone “who can listen with an unconditional ear.” The event was sponsored by the McCook National Bank. Read the McCook Daily Gazette article for more information.

Sidney, NE – First year a Success!!
A TeamMates chapter launched this year in Sidney, Nebraska and they can already boast 51 matches. Sidney has started with fifth through eighth-grade students. Like most programs, they are still in need of more mentors. “We’ve had so many kids self-nominate that we haven’t referred yet,” Jacobsen said. Read the full article from the Sun Telegraph.

Columbus, NE – TeamMates Mentee heading to graduate school
We love to celebrate the success of our mentees, and this is a big one! A TeamMates mentee from Colombus has not only graduated college, but is on her way to graduate school. Read the full story of Jeannie and Cesia in the Columbus Telegram.

The End of Your Match

Unfortunately, at some point in time, all matches will come to a close – whether it be at graduation of the mentee or someone in the relationship is moving or for a different reason. It is normal for all relationships to change over time. This is an important time for both the mentor and mentee to make this situation go as smooth as possible.

Here are a few general tips:

• Talk about it. Even if the relationship is ending for positive reasons, one or both of you may still be feeling hurt or sad. Be thoughtful as you and your mentor share the feelings you are having.
• Talk about what you found most important and satisfying about your relationship with each other.
• Try not to completely cut yourself off from each other when the formal relationship ends. If possible, continue communicating via letters, notes, or e-mail messages.
• Let your mentee know how much they mean to you. Thank them for the opportunity to get to know each other. Let them know how he/she has impacted you.

Looking Back on Your Mentoring Experience. The two of you have been through a lot together – the ups and downs, some fun activities, maybe some tough discussions.As you look back at your time together, it is important for you to think about what you have gained from the mentoring experience. Below are some questions to help each of you reflect on your mentoring experience.

• What has being part of TeamMates taught me about myself?
• What has being part of TeamMates taught me about the world around me?
• Am I satisfied with the kind of mentor or mentee I have been?
• What three things am I most proud of?
• What are each other’s strengths?
• What have you taught each other?
• What will you always remember about your relationship?
• Because of the mentoring experience, what will you do more, less, or differently in life?

Remember to tell your coordinator if your match will be ending and ensure that you and your mentee are prepared for the closure of the match.

 

Adpated From Mentoring for Meaningful Results: Asset-Buildiung Tips, Tools, and Activities for Youth and Adults. Copyright (c) 2006 by Search Institute, 800-888-7828; www.search-institute.org

End of Year Celebration at the Zoo

Last Thursday, May 3, 1,700 TeamMates mentors and mentees from Omaha and Iowa spent the day at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. TeamMates mentees explored the zoo with their mentors while completing a scavenger hunt and enjoying lunch.

The highlight of the day was a graduation ceremony to honor the 37 senior mentees in attendance. They were called to stage along with their mentors to receive a medal and certificate from TeamMates co-founder Nancy Osborne. Three seniors spoke to the crowd about their experiences with TeamMates and the impact of their mentors. A total of 7 TeamMates Scholarships were also awarded – 2 Tom Miller Scholarships ($1,000 each) and 5 Osborne Oppotunity Scholarships ($1,500 each).

Set a Goal for the Summer

As the end of the school year approaches, prepare your mentee for the summer. Before you part ways, challenge your mentee to set a goal for the summer that you can follow up with when you meet again in the fall. It can be a goal related to a sport, something at home, maybe reading a book – work with your mentee on picking their goal. Here are a few guidelines that can be used when creating SMART goals:

S is for Specific.

Goals should be stated so the steps to complete them become obvious. “Having lots of money” is too general. “Save $100 over the next three months” is more specific.

M is for Measurable.

A goal should have a time and built in marker for success. An example of a measurable goal is “To fill out three applications by the end of the week”, not just “Get a summer job.”

A is for Achievable.

Mentees need to consider their personal strengths as they set goals. Goals set outside of the ability of the youth will only set the mentee up for disappointment. For instance “To have the lead in the school musical” is generally not acheivable if he/she cannot carry a tune!

R is for Realistic.

Many youth aspire to what they see on television in terms of not only occupation but also in appearance. By coming up with the specific steps it would take to reach a goal the student is faced with determining whether or not the goal is realistic.

T is for Time.

Goals should include an end time frame so they can be measured for success along the way. “Graduate” is certainly a goal, but “Graduate from high school with my class” better meets the requirements for goal setting.

Use these steps an guidelines to come up with the goal. Encourage your mentee to think of ways to record progress and to show completion. During the summer, you can write to each other about the progress towards the goal and encourage them along the way.

Activities for the Summer – Letter Writing

As the summer approaches, prepare your mentee for the time apart. One thing you can do to keep in touch is send letters. To make it simpler for your mentee, provide them with addressed and stamped envelopes with paper inside. They can use one of the prompts below to write a letter to send to you. Try to respond within one week.

• What is the best/worst things about summer?
• What did you do on the 4th of July?
• Where have you been on vacation this summer?
• What is your ideal summer day?
• Have you seen any good movies/read any good books so far this summer?
• What are you most excited/worried about for school next year?
• What is one things about yourself you want to improve over the summer?
• What activities would you like to focus on when we start meeting in person again?

You can include additional items such as:

• pictures of each other on vacation or doing fun activities
• poems or stories you have written
• drawing or other art projects
• mix CDs or other music that has “sound tracked” their summer

Other Posts releated to summer activities:

• Activity Ideas for Over the Summer
• Journal Topic Ideas

Crafts for Mother’s Day – Sunday, May 13

May is a busy, busy month! Sunday, May 13 is Mothers Day. This is an important time for people to recognize their Mother’s, guardians, caregivers, and any woman in their life who has had a positive impact. We are surrounded by people who give of themselves constantly. It is important to take a moment to show appreciate.

Work with your mentee to identify these special individuals in their own lives and create some crafts below. Remember the importance of including a note of praise and thanks with each gift or craft. Click the links below to get a full description of the project.

	Poppy Canvas Art This is a more time-intensive project, but yields a beautiful flower picture on canvas. Main materials needed – paper, canvas, mod podge, buttons, and paint.
	Homemade Vase from a Water Bottle Utilizing a recycled water bottle, some glue or mod podge, ribbon, and paper, you can create a fresh new vase out of old materials.
	Super Mom Coloring Page  This is the perfect project for younger mentees. Print it out and use some bright crayons or markers to color it in. Include a nice note about mom and all the things she does that your mentee appreciates.
	String Flowers These would be perfect to put in the water bottle vase. This is a great activity for mentees of all ages.

Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week: May 7-11

Teacher Appreciate Week is coming up next week. Help your mentee show appreciation to their teachers by writing each a thoughtful card. Below are other ideas you can make with your mentee to show how much they appreciate the hard work their teachers dedicate to them.

This is a great time to teach your mentee how to write a genuine thank you note. Encourage your mentee to thank their teacher(s) and to write something they enjoy about their class.  Make it personal.

	We Need S’more Teachers Like You Printable can be found at this link. Materials needed: marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, bags, paper. Don’t forget to include a note of gratitude!
	You Were Mint To Teach! Materials needed: containers of Altoid Mints, printed paper, twine, and a small note of thanks.
	Printable Thank You Cards Materials needed: paper, printer, ink, possibly ribbon or another adornments.
	DIY Subway Art Challenge your mentee to think of descriptive words to describe their teacher. This site shows a variation of this active using Wordle.net

May Day Activities

It is the start of a new month – May! May Day marks the end of the cold and the beginning of the warm season. It is celebrated in many places around the world with many different traditions. Below you will find information on different traditions and associated activities.

May Day Baskets

One of the most popular and well know May Day traditions is to hang a basket full of spring flowers or some other small gift on your neighbror’s doorknob without them seeing you. Instructions for this paper May Day Cone can be found here. You will need construction paper, tape, hand-made flowers and scissors. To make candy flowers, find the instructions here. You can also make flowers like the ones pictured using Rolos or Reeses, construction paper, and pipe cleaners.

Be creative with your mentee and have fun creating something for their neighbors!

Here is another site with more May Day basket ideas: http://www.playsational.com/may-day-basket-ideas/

May Pole

A popular activity on May Day is to decorate a pole with brightly colored ribbon or paper streamers. Some also add flowers and balloons. The pole is usually carried in a parade and then placed in the ground at a designated area. People then dance around the May pole, holding the ends of the streamers or ribbon in their hands.

Using a paper towel cardboard center, paint, rippon, and tape you can create your own table top May pole. Find the detailed instructions here.

Wishing Well

In London, May Day is celebrated with the children going from house to house. They bring flowers and get pennies in return. The pennies are then thrown into a wishing well. The pennies are then donated to charity.

Using popsicle sticks and a tin can, you can make your own wishing well to save your pennies and then donate them to a charity. Click for instructions.

 

For more information on May Day:

• http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/may/mayday.html
• http://familycrafts.about.com/od/maydayprojects/a/May_Day_Crafts.htm

 

One Hour Walk News

During this time of year many chapters are hosting One Hour Walk fundraisers. The purpose of these events is to get the community involved and to demonstrate the impact One Hour can truly have. Here are news stories from chapters who have already hosted a walk. Many chapters will be hosting them in the upcoming weeks. Leave us a comment if your chapter has hosted a walk so we can feature it in our next post.

Ord-Arcadia TeamMates Chapter

“Youth, mentors, area businesses, school administrators and staff and community members joined together to celebrate the TeamMates Mentoring Program during the “One Hour Walk” held on Friday, April 20th at the Ord Public Schools Track. The one-hour represents the time mentors spend with their mentees each week to make a difference in the lives of youth. Approximately 130 people registered for the Walk.

During the event, participants enjoyed a free meal , received a t-shirt, and walked to music…” Read More from KNLVradio.com

Kearney TeamMates Chapter

“Some of today’s most influential people most likely had some kind of positive influence in their lives.

Sunday, the Kearney community took extra steps to help more kids be their best during the 9th annual TeamMates walk. The walk honors the hour spent between the mentors and their students… ” Read More from NTV

 

This is a wonderful time of year to celebrate the relationship between and mentor and a mentee. We are grateful for the support of our communities!