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This is Issue #21 (February 16, 2024) of Signposts, the newsletter for friends of The Harraseeket Foundation (pronounced "hair-a-SEEK-it"), a Northern Virginia 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Please forward this to your friends and colleagues and encourage them to subscribe using this link.
You're invited to create a "community of mentors" in your organization!
Is your employer, faith community or community organization interested in helping young people imagine their future?
On February 6, a group of Harraseeket mentors trained by Fairfax County Public Schools met with some of the 157 students at Herndon High School who told us they want a career mentor.
What is a "community of mentors"? How does it work?
A community of mentors is 3 or more members of an organization that support young people in imagining their future.
Organizations can include faith communities, employers, clubs and other groups that want to support young people. Having three or more from an organization act as mentors provides better opportunities for...
⭐ supporting and inspiring each other
⭐ sharing best practices and challenges
⭐ participating in ongoing training and continuing education
⭐ participating in group activities with the mentees
While mentoring is rewarding, it comes with challenges. Feeling supported by members of the community improves the duration, quality and creativity of mentoring relationships!
How is "career mentoring" different from regular mentoring?
Career mentoring focuses on learning about work and career opportunities after high school. A career mentor guides and supports a student over an extended period as the student seeks out and learns from at-work experiences. These experiences include:
field trips, shadowing, internships, and part-time work
attending workshops, panels and fairs in and out of school.
But career mentoring is also about the "whole student" -- much more than just work and careers. Mentoring conversations extend to value systems, obligations to self and others, choices we make about living in service to the world, and how who we are translates into how we choose to live our lives.
Having at-work experiences as a core part of the mentor-mentee agenda increases the commitment of the student to the mentoring relationship, and provides a ready map to guide conversations as the mentor and mentee get to know each other.
Career mentors don't need amazing jobs or careers. Any adult with a little wisdom and experience makes a great career mentor. We arrange for screening, training and ongoing education and other support to make any caring adult a great career mentor!
Where and when would career mentor meetings take place?
Harraseeket currently supports students at Herndon High School and Wakefield High School, and expects to add students from other communities in Northern Virginia.
Career mentors meet with their students throughout the school year at least twice a month for 30 minutes. At least one meeting would be at the school during the school day, and the second meeting can be by video if the student and mentor agree.
On February 8, Harraseeket's Leslie Speidel and Katie Moore led a career exploration program for 100 students who are part of the College Partnership Program (CPP), and encouraged them to consider working with a career mentor.
The goal of CPP is to systematically mitigate the impact of barriers to access and opportunity, and support students who are from populations that are historically underrepresented on college campuses. The mission of CPP is to provide students with equitable access to postsecondary opportunities and activities necessary for college and career readiness.
We're a 2023 GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Nonprofit -- the 2nd year in a row!
Read our reviews -- and please add yours -- using the "Share Your Story" button on this page.
The Harraseeket Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Harraseeket is registered under Section 57-49 of the Virginia Solicitation of Contributions Law with the Virginia Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs, where a financial statement is available upon written request.
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