LIMA — In August, a mentoring program will be established at Lima Senior High School. Starting with sophomores in career tech, the program hopes to expand over time to include the entire school population.
“Research has consistently concluded that the best way, hands down, to help a young person make their way through their life plan and develop self-esteem and their career planning is mentoring, without a doubt,” said Doug Arthur, of Transform Consulting said,
The commitment to be a part of this program is very light – once a week after school or on weekends for five minutes via your phone.
“The dependability, the regularity of that five-minute connection is the secret sauce that makes this huge impact on that young person’s approach to problem-solving to getting through the challenges of their day,” Arthur said.
To sign up to be a mentor, email [email protected] or text Hanne at 740-590-0560 with the note “Count me in!”
Professionals from all sectors of the business community are desired for mentors. The mentors will mentor for three years – from sophomore though senior year and graduation. There are 261 sophomores at Lima Senior High School. Therefore, 216 mentors are needed.
“We’ve got a block of work to do connecting with people, putting them through required background checks because they will be working with minors,” Arthur said. “We give them a two-hour online training that will cover goals of the program, appropriate topics for mentoring, how to handle difficult and awkward questions, what to say and what not to say and where to reach out for help if needed.”
Arthur, principal consultant for Transform Consulting, has designed workforce solutions for 20 years in communities in Ohio, Indiana, Texas and California.
