Mentors
Elementary Mentors Needed
Two opportunities for college students to volunteer and earn Service Learning credit. Mentors are needed in area elementary schools during and afterschool. Visit our Elementary school page for schedule details.
Tour Day: Over 250 college student volunteers are needed April 26th and over 300 volunteers for April 27th to give tours to visiting 5th grade students for the Blugold Beginnings 5th Grade Campus Tour Days.
How to sign up to volutneer for one or both Tour Days:
-Apply online using our online Tour Day sign-up survey
-Attend one required training sessions
-Questions: email bbfifthgradetourday@uwec.edu or visit the BB office located in Brewer Hall, office 50.
Join Blugold Beginnings as a Mentor!
The Blugold Beginnings program is built on the support, enthusiasm and commitment of our mentors. Students from UW-Eau Claire make up our entire team of mentors. The program creates a variety of opportunities for our mentors to make a difference and gain valuable experience working with elementary through high school students.
2009-2010 Mentors
2010-2011 Mentors
Why Mentor?
Make a Difference
There are many reasons why you should be a mentor. When a university student spends quality time with an elementary, middle or high school student they send the message that education is important and a post secondary education is possible, because there are people who will support them on their journey toward success.
Community Connection
Perhaps you had a mentor when you were growing up, a neighbor, friend or relative who influenced your life and impacted who you are today. Being a positive role model for a student in your community can make a world of difference in that student's life. You can impact their hopes, dreams and future plans for themselves. Take action through our program by becoming a mentor and positively influence a young person's life.
Service Learning
Another benefit to being a mentor through our program is completing your university service learning requirement. The Office of Service Learning has already approved this project and fully supports the program. This is a great way to fill that requirement while doing something fun and making a difference in your community. To complete the necessary forms online, please visit the Center for Service Learning Web site: http://www.uwec.edu/sl/
The reelection piece for the service learning project can be completed as a two page paper submitted to the Blugold Beginnings office.
Rewards
The Blugold Beginnings program depends on volunteer mentors at the 5th grade level. The relationships, fun times, experiences, lessons learned, and completion of the Service Learning requirement are all rewards mentors take away from their time with students.
Mentors who work at the middle and high school level are paid for their time. Mentors volunteer their time to mentor at the elementary level. Site coordinators are also paid positions. Apply Now! Please review all volunteer and paid positions available through Blugold Beginnings.
2nd Semester Mentor Training 2012
Scheduled for January 20th, 2012. Training will be held on upper campus in the McPhee Center, room 162, 9:00-4:00pm.
Winter Mentor Training
January 20, 2012 (9:00-4:00)
Make-Up Training
Please email all completed forms and papers with you name on them by Feb. 10 to: blugoldbeginnings@uwec.edu
Topic: Binder Activities
Presenter: Heather Harris, Research Coordinator
Complete the binder feedback worksheet (need worksheet)
Review the PowerPoint (need power point)
Binder improvement activity (competition for mentors who attended training):
Topic: What every mentor needs to know
Presenter: Heather Eslinger, Great Lakes Higher Education
Review Power Point
Write a 3-4 page reflection paper including:
- Five new things you learned
- Five ways to incorporate with students
Topic: Financial Aid
Presenter: Heather Eslinger, Great Lakes Higher Education
Review Power Point
Write a 3-4 page reflection paper including:
- Two new things you learned about financial aid
- How can you better serve the population (students and families) you work with?
Topic: Mentor Expectations
Presenter: Katie Gorell, Delong Middle School College Coach
Review Power Point
Complete the worksheet and electronically sign the bottom before submission
Please email all completed forms and papers with you name on them by Feb. 10 to: blugoldbeginnings@uwec.edu
1st Semester Mentor Training 2011
Mentor Training Feedback Survey
All mentors who attended training Sept. 24-25 & Oct. 1-2 should complete the mentor training feedback survey.
Fall 2011 Training Make-Up
Mentors are expected to review all training materials, PowerPoints, videos, worksheets and quizzes.
Saturday, September 24th
Session 1: H.E.L.P.
Activity: Watch the video and complete the worksheet.
Video: H.E.L.P.: How to Enjoy Living with a Preadolescent by Judith Baenen
This video is designed for tutor/mentors/caregivers of 10- to 15-year-olds. The video can help tutor/mentors to know what to expect of young adolescents and why. They offer compassionate, practical solutions to common problems such as forgetting, irritability, power plays, friendships, chores, and more. New behaviors, changes in attitudes and values, and changes in relationships are normal. This video shares characteristics of young adolescents, situations that might happen at home, and ideas for parents/tutor/mentors to continue to support and love young adolescents through this rollercoaster period of life.
Viewing Times and Locations:
Monday, Oct. 24, 4:30PM, HHH 103
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 6:00PM, HHH 100
Wednesday no showings
Thursdays, Oct. 27, 9:00AM, HHH 201
Thursday, Oct. 27, 4:00PM, HHH 101
Friday, Oct. 28., 2:00PM, HHH 100
Worksheet 1: 6th-8th Grade Characteristics
Quiz-6th Grade
Quiz-7th Grade
Quiz-8th Grade
Session 2: Research
PowerPoint: Research: Why It’s Important
Sunday, September 25th
Session 1: Academic Skills Center Session
Activity: Watch the following video while reviewing the PowerPoint
PowerPoint:
Tutor/Mentor Strategies
Video: ASC Presentation Video
Quiz: Tutor/Mentor Strategies Quiz
Session 2: Role Play Activity
Activity: With another mentor, discuss the possible solutions to the scenarios in the following worksheet.
Worksheet: What Would You Do?
Session 3: Adolescent Development Session
Activity: Please watch the video, review all materials with a fellow mentor and take the quiz.
Video: The Preadolescent Brain and Development
PowerPoint: Brain Presentation
Supportive Notes on the Brain Presentation
Quiz-The Middle School Brain
Worksheet: Circles of Our Multicultural Selves
Worksheet: Stages of Ethnic Identity
Session 4: Partnership Programs
Activity: Please visit the link below to become familiar
Link: WEOP
Saturday, October 1st
The Higher Education Hustle was a success!
Session 1: Behavior Management
Activity: Watch the following video while reviewing the PowerPoint. Then complete the quiz.
Video: Behavior Management
PowerPoint:
Trapping Good Behavior and Avoiding Bad Behavior
Worksheet: Mentor activity form
Quiz: Behavior Management Quiz
Meetings took place with supervisors. If you have any questions about your placement, etc. please see your program supervisor.
Sunday, October 2nd AmeriCorps Mentor Specific Training
Session 1: Citizenship
PowerPoint: Citizenship Training 2011
Worksheet: Citizenship Test
Worksheet: The New Bill of Rights
Quiz-Citizenship
Tour Day Mentor Information
Blugold Beginnings hosted the 5th Grade Campus Tour Day field trip for 1500 fifth graders and their teachers. Over 350 college student volunteers participated each day, April 26-27, as Tour Day Mentors. College students spent time with the visiting 5th graders, showed them around campus and talked to them about college as an opportunity for them. It was a two day commitment, Thursday, April 26 & Friday, April 27 from 9:00 am-2:30pm.
Tour Day Mentors get a free t-shirt and lunch each day and could earn 15 hours of service learning!
Service Learning for UWEC Students:
Service Learning can be earned by participating with this educational community school event. To earn those hours, you must complete the following:
- Training (1 hour)
- 2 pre visits (2 hours)
- 2 tour days (10 hours)
- 2 post visits (2 hours)
- A two page reflection paper
The reflection paper must be turned into Lissa Martinez by May 31, 2012. The Center for Service Learning requires students to complete an online application to identify their project: http://www.uwec.edu/sl/. Within the service learning application, you should list Lissa Martinez as your supervisor.
Student Mentor Quotes from Tour Day 2010:
Jenny Mackenzie
“Initially I went into this group just hoping to offer my time and get my hours; however, I was caught off guard by the experiences I will never forget”
Marie Stubb
“I saw the excitement on the faces of the fifth graders we visited and heard it in their voices as they asked multiple questions on what we were going to do when they came to visit the following week, and I think I started to get the picture then”
“I think the best part of the whole experience was the post visit to the classrooms after the tour days were over. I was amazed to see how excited these kids still were about their visit. The gum tree, visiting the dorms, and the cockroaches (from the greenhouse) were the big favorites with many of them”
“these kids were excited about coming to campus during the pre-visit, they were excited about college while they were actually on campus and touring it, and they were still excited about college when we visited them again during the post-visit”
Katie Dalzell
“I think the fifth graders enjoyed when we took them into Phillips Hall. They got to see the greenhouses and also aquariums with fish and sea creatures which they seemed very interested in”
“it’s not very often that I get to be engaged with children, and this gave me the opportunity to convey a strong and positive message about the importance of college to people much younger than myself”
“I think that this day got these 5th graders thinking about college more than they had before, and left them with more knowledge about what college is all about. I also think it taught us college kids more about ourselves and what we want to do with our lives”
Amanda Werner
“Along the walks there was a constant gust of questions about everything we passed, and the children were genuinely interested. I’m glad they could see the opportunities that are available on a college campus besides simply taking classes. It shone a positive light on their previous view of college”
“I was impressed and proud of how big of an impact the tour day had on these children”
