Dear Parent/Guardian,
You have just taken the first step in making a positive impact on your child and your family.
It is our goal to give your child a positive and lasting relationship that will be a source of motivation and encouragement to help gain greater self-esteem. We want each youth to generate positive relationships with family and friends, improve school performance, instill healthy values, and good decision making skills.
The involvement of the parent/guardian is vital to the success of this Mentoring relationship.
All of our mentors are professionally trained and carefully screened through multiple interviews. This is to ensure the quality and safety of both involved in the Mentoring relationship.
In order to be eligible to be mentored, your youth must:
- Be 4–18 years old
- Have a parent or guardian who is currently incarcerated in a state or federal corrections system at the time of application
- Or, remanded to county prison by the state or federal corrections system
- Or, remanded to mental health, residential or substance abuse treatment programs by the state or federal corrections system
- Reside in Hunterdon, Morris or Passaic counties
- Demonstrate a desire to participate in the program and be willing to abide by all mentoring program policies and procedures
- Be able to obtain parental/guardian permission and ongoing support for participation in the program
- Agree to a one-year commitment to the program
- Commit to spending a minimum of five hours a month with the mentor or a minimum average of one hour a week
- Complete the screening procedure
- Agree to attend mentee and parent trainings as required
- Be willing to communicate regularly with the program coordinator and discuss monthly meeting and activity information
Our organization, the mentor, and the child and parent/guardian enter into this process voluntarily and no one is under any obligation to proceed with the process.
The application process for Mentees is as follows:
1. Submit a written application (a copy of which is attached below) that includes:
- Consent forms
- Mentee Interest Survey
2. Participate in two hours of mentee and/or parent/guardian training. Training is free of charge and will be scheduled at various times and locations convenient to you. At the conclusion of the training, the trainer will award you a Mentee Certificate.
3. After training has been completed, both child and parent/guardian will be scheduled for a personal interview in a location convenient to you.
4. After all of your materials are reviewed, the final disposition of your application will be determined and you will receive a letter stating whether you have been accepted into the program.
5. At that time, we will begin to search our files for a mentor that we feel you will be successfully matched with. We will telephone you with a non-identifying description of the mentor. If you determine that this is a mentor you may want your child to be matched with, we contact the mentor with a non-identifying description of the child.
6. If all parties agree to pursue the match, a meeting will be scheduled between the mentor, the parent/guardian and the child. At that meeting, match contracts and contact information will be explained, exchanged and signed.
7. You may then begin to schedule activities and build a lasting friendship with your mentor.
8. During the duration of the match, we coordinate monthly support and supervision contact with you, your mentor and the parent or guardian in order to lower the risk factors, strengthen the relationship, and help you with any issues you may encounter.
In addition to a similar application process, Mentors are required to participate in twelve hours of mentor training and a background check that includes criminal history and driving record.
If you or someone you know are interested in our JUST 1 mentoring program, please click on the Register Now button above or contact Cathy Canterino, Mentoring Coordinator at HPR, at 908-782-3909 or
ccanterino@hunterdonprevention.com.