Since 1999, The Mentoring Network, Inc. (formerly the West Canyon Mentoring Project) has offered school-based mentoring to rural, school referred, at-risk students, grades 1-8 and continuing through high school with MN students that choose to. The MN currently serves five school districts; Nampa, Caldwell, Parma, Homedale, and Vallivue.
The Mission of The Mentoring Network, Inc. is to provide school-based, direct-to-youth mentoring that will improve life outcomes for vulnerable and disengaged children by developing resilience skills, supporting the development of personal strengths, and increasing self-sufficiency.
The Mentoring Network incorporates programming based on the principle that all young people have a need for caring people and challenging possibilities in their lives. Reflection, youth voice, and positive relationships with adults are experiences considered to be important factors in producing effective student learning. The MN believes that resilience is not a genetic trait that only a few “superkids” possess. Rather, when provided with a caring environment, high expectations and meaningful opportunities, youth have an inborn capacity for self-righting and for transformation.
The goals of the mentoring program are to improve at-risk students’ attendance, state testing scores, behaviors and self-worth through friendship building with caring adults who meet with their student one hour, once a week, on the school grounds, during the school year. Once a mentor is available referred students are invited to participate in the mentoring program. Parents and school officials fill out mentor request forms, parent permissions, information sharing forms, confidentiality forms, and academic information forms.
Interested mentors go through a process completing an application form, along with background checks, written referrals, interview and training.
The project is supported by a full-time Executive Director and a part-time Administrative Assistant who work closely with each individual school counselor, mentors, students, parents, and communities.
