The Child Safe Michigan Mentoring Program is one of the only successful year-long programs in the state of Michigan that is dedicated primarily to youth with lived foster care experience ages 14-23. Not only do youth with lived foster care experience deal with age-appropriate issues facing youth today, but they also have to face being separated from their biological family, residing in new homes, and attending new schools all while dealing with the abuse and/or neglect that led to their placement in the foster care system.
The Mentoring Program requires at least a one-year commitment where the mentor and mentee meet two to four times per month within the community. Mentors must be at 21 years old. Once someone has decided to take the steps to becoming a mentor, they will be sent a packet of materials including an application and background check authorizations. They will be asked to provide contact information for three personal references who can attest to your character and appropriateness in mentoring a youth. Along with completing the application packet, they will participate in an interview with one of the Mentoring Program staff as a means of learning about their hobbies and interests to best match them with a mentee. This interview also allows an opportunity for them to ask questions they may have about the mentoring experience. As a final step of the application process, they will be invited to attend a six-hour New Mentor Orientation; this training is typically held on a Saturday and is conducted either in-person or virtually every three months.
