Dear Community Friends Applicant:
Thank you for your interest in Community Friends! We are thrilled to have you apply and become involved as a mentor. Community Friends has been pairing college students with children between the ages of 6-12 in the community since 1960. Manos Unidas is a new wing of Community Friends in partnership with Juntos, a Middlebury College migrant farmworker – student solidarity organization. Manos Unidas matches children and mentors who identify as Latinx or Hispanic and would like to engage in mentoring relationships that celebrate and explore shared culture and identity. Both of these groups aim to provide a meaningful opportunity for relationship building and connection.
This letter will explain the screening and matching process for the Community Friends program and describe the program’s expectations for your participation, as well as the support you will receive by participating. Please read this letter carefully before returning the completed Mentor Application Form to Megan Brakeley at the Center for Community Engagement.
Our screening process:
Once you have returned your completed application, Megan will contact your references and your Commons Dean or Commons Head. Please note that it is good practice to contact the people you plan to use as references, especially if you have not been in touch with them recently. In the meantime, a student coordinator will contact you to arrange an interview. This is an important step in the screening process, and it will help us find a mentee who will be a good match for you. When the interview and reference checks are complete, Megan will email you a link to complete a background check through a third-party vendor, Verified Volunteers. Half of the $13 charge for the background check is covered by the student organization budget, and we ask that participants pay for the remaining $6.50. Aid is granted upon request; please reach out. Upon successful completion of this background check, you will be matched with your mentee! A student coordinator will arrange and facilitate the first meeting with your new mentee and their guardian or parent. After that, you are responsible for coordinating and communicating with your mentee’s guardian or family for continued weekly meetings.
This screening and matching process can take two or three weeks to complete, and please be aware that this can vary depending on the time of year. We generally seek to make new matches at the opening of each term (around early October, in January and February). Applications received after spring break may be encouraged to wait until the following fall to be matched, but we encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience.
Please feel free to reach out to Megan (x3010) with questions about the status of your application or with questions about the process.
What we ask of you:
4 A commitment to meet with your mentee for a minimum of one academic year or its equivalent (a fall, winter, and spring semester)
4 A commitment to maintain the confidentiality of your friend and his/her family as per the Community Friends Volunteer Handbook guidelines
4 Scheduled communication with the staff advisor and student coordinators throughout your involvement in the program
o At minimum, you are asked to respond to email check-ins at the beginning and close of each semester (4 email check-ins per year). If you prefer to meet in person or have other questions, please contact us or drop in to visit with lead student coordinator, Elissa DeNunzio ‘18, on Mondays from 10-12am at the Center for Community Engagement (20 Old Chapel Road).
4 If a situation arises where you have questions or concerns, please contact the staff coordinator immediately. Although your role as a Community Friend entails meeting one-to-one with your mentee, there is often a larger team of individuals who also work to support your mentee, and active communication is imperative. Remember: never worry alone!
Resources we make available to you:
4 Ideas, inspiration, and supplies for activities to do with your mentee (come check out CCE’s Supply Closet on the second floor! We have scissors, glue, markers, pom-poms, games… You name it!)
4 Group events to enjoy with your friend and other pairs in the program
4 Shared use of Middlebury College facilities and resources, including the natatorium, dining halls, and College vehicles. Check out relevant protocols in the Community Friends Handbook
4 Guidance and help troubleshooting challenges that might arise
By joining Community Friends, you can become part of a network of over 2,200 current and alumni mentors who span the program’s 57 year history. A mentoring relationship can be a catalyst for changing how a person sees the world—in both directions! Many of our volunteers establish lasting connections with their mentee, staying in contact even after their time at the College has ended.
Once trust has been established in a mentoring relationship, mentees count on the fun, intelligent, and caring people who enter their lives as mentors. Earning—and maintaining—trust with your mentee takes dedication and time. Please consider carefully your commitment before signing up to mentor a child.
Thank you for your interest in joining Community Friends! Please do not hesitate to contact one of the Student Coordinators or Megan Brakeley with questions or for support. We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to your new friend.
Sincerely,
Megan Brakeley ‘06
Community Friends Staff Coordinator
Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement
Elissa DeNunzio ‘18
Community Friends Lead Student Coordinator,
I would like to be a Manos Unidas Mentor: □
Name: ______ Date: ______
Date of Birth: ______ID #______Gender Identity: ______
Major: ______Grad Year: ______
Campus Box: ______Phone: ______Email: ______
Permanent Address: ______Do you live off-campus? Yes: No:
Do you have a U.S. driver’s license? Yes: No:
Do you have access to a car on campus? Yes: No:
If not, do you have a college license? Yes: No:
Are you willing to transport your mentee? Yes: No:
Our volunteer screening process consists of a background check and three reference checks: one from your Commons Dean or Commons Head, whomever you are more familiar with; and two personal references. Please do not list relatives for your personal references. Feel free to list professors, advisors, mentors, supervisors, or anyone else who can speak to your ability to work with young people and follow through on commitments. You may list a friend, but make sure your other personal reference is someone who knows you in a supervisory capacity.
Commons Dean or Commons Head: ______
Reference #1: Reference #2:
Name: ______Name: ______
Title: ______Title: ______
Address: ______Address: ______
______
Phone: ______Phone: ______
Email: ______Email: ______
Brief description of reference’s relationship to you: Brief description of reference’s relationship to you:
______
Please note that affirmative answers to the following questions do not automatically disqualify someone from becoming a mentor. If you would prefer to hold a confidential discussion, please contact Megan Brakeley at or 443-3010.
Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Yes: No:
Do you now or have you ever had a drinking or drug problem? Yes: No:
Why do you want to volunteer with children or young adults?
______
______
What experience do you have that would help you in working with children or young adults? Please include any relevant credentials or trainings (e.g., CPR or EMT certification, babysitting courses)
______
______
What are the special skills, interests, or hobbies you would like to share with a mentee?
______
Describe the mentee with whom you think you will be most effective (i.e. age range, gender, personality, interests, etc.). Please also note any qualities that might be cause for concern for you.
______
______
Please list any languages in which you are fluent and would be comfortable engaging with your mentee:
______
When are you typically available for match time?
______
By signing or typing your signature on the line below, you waive your right to see the recommendations made by your references. You also confirm that the information you have provided on this form is complete and true to the best of your knowledge.
______
Signature Date
Please return this application to:
Community Friends
20 Old Chapel Road
Community Engagement 802.443.2990 fax
Middlebury College 801.443.3010 phone
Middlebury, VT 05753