January 5th - 9th

This week focused on bringing the mentees into the program. The counselors were great about ensuring there were equal numbers of mentees and mentors in each class, which made Tuesday go really well. Naturally, the first week of the semester led to quite a few schedule changes and none of the classes have equal numbers anymore. This is something that will be remedied next week.

Happily, the mentors and mentees are getting along really well. I've been encouraging the mentors to sit with different people each day and they've obliged, which has gone a long way in making the mentees feel welcome. A few mentees were hesitant to start the program, but the kindness and enthusiasm from the mentors has helped them come out of their shells.

Once I went over the history of the YESS Institute, the purpose of the class, and the rules, we played icebreakers and games this week. Two days were spent on interviews. Tuesday, the kids paired up: one mentee and one mentor. Each student took turns interviewing the other, which gave me an opportunity to see how various personalities worked together. The following day, after the interviews were complete, each pair stood at the front of the class to introduce his/her partner. It was endearing to see how well some of the partners bonded and encouraged each other. Today, we played two games. The first game was a team building exercise that required the students to balance on a piece of lumber while performing other tasks. The second game, Would You Like to Buy My Monkey?, was a silly game that allowed the kids to "sell" their monkey to other students.

Next week, we begin the mentor pull-out classes to provide on-going training for the mentors. The mentees will remain in the classroom to participate in an activity hosted by the Community Reach Center and Student Services Resource liaison. These weekly pull-out sessions will go a long way in making sure the mentors are successful with their mentees. I'll also be pairing up the mentors with mentees.

I've already witnessed some powerful bonds being formed between these students and I can't wait to see what will happen in the next few months!