Dear Community Friends Applicant:
Thank you for your interest in Community Friends! We are thrilled to have you apply on behalf of a child who you think may enjoy or benefit from having a mentor.Community Friends has been pairing college students with children between the ages of 6-12 in Addison County since 1960, and aims to provide a meaningful opportunity for relationship building and connection. The program was originally founded by the Counseling Services of Addison County, and now runs as a Student Organization advised by the Center for Community Engagement at Middlebury College.
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 exploreshared culture and identity. Match time for these pairs can take place in English or in Spanish. If you are interested in applying to have your child matched with a Manos Unidas mentor, please designate that option on the application and answer the additional questions about language preference in the space provided.
What do Community Friends matches do together?
Mentors and Mentees usually meet once a week for about 2 hours, exploring opportunities to get to know each other and spend time on- and off-campus. We ask mentors to plan activities that are low- or no-cost, to accommodate the different financial situations that families and mentors may be coming from. Middlebury College has a wealth of facilities and supplies that are free for students to use, so most mentors find that they don’t need to spend money to have fun. Pairs can eat in the College dining halls, use sports facilities such as the natatorium or the basketball courts, or check out board games and craft materials from the supply closet the Center for Community Engagement keeps stocked for student use. Mentors and mentees might also head off-campus to go on a hike on the Trail Around Middlebury or visit the Ilsley Library.
We ask mentors and parent/guardians to set their own meeting times, so scheduling can be flexible. However, we ask that mentors and families do their best to meet once per week and to communicate any change in plans at least 24 hours in advance.
How will my child be matched?
Community Friends typically makes matches based on common interests and personality types, so mentors can plan activities that they will both be excited about. We also try to match when possible with anticipated years in the program in mind, so that freshmen are matched with younger kids, and seniors with kids who are on the upper end of the program age range. Transportation availability is also sometimes a factor.
Please note that finding a match for your child can take anywhere between a few weeks and a few months. Most students sign up in fall or in January, so matches happen most quickly following those times of year, and the wait during other times such as summer can tend to be longer. The speed with which we may be able to match your child also depends on the number of students we can recruit, and we quite often have a waiting list for boys seeking male mentors.
Once a match is made, a student coordinator will arrange and facilitate the first meeting with a parent or guardian, the child, and the new mentor. After that, families and guardians coordinate directly with the mentor for continued weekly meetings.
Who are the mentors?
Community Friends mentors are Middlebury College students who have applied to be a mentor for a child, and have agreed to commit for at least one year, although many matches last longer. Often, they are students who have previous experience working with kids or mentoring and want to continue during their college years. Before being matched, mentors interview with a student coordinator so we can get a better sense of how best to match them, and attend training that covers the program expectations for mentors. Our screening process requires two references, sign-off from their dean, and a background check.
Who provides transportation?
Mentors come to our program with a great variety of personal transportation situations, but it’s a fact that only a small number of them have access to personal vehicles. It may be up to you to make necessary arrangements for your child to be dropped off or picked up from match time. However, when families are unable to provide transportation we do our best to match their child with a mentor who has access to a vehicle and is comfortable transporting them. This may add to the time it takes for your child to be matched, depending on the travel time that mentors would need to commit to.
Thank you for your interest!
Please feel free to reach out to Megan (x3010) with questions about the status of your application or with questions about the process. Megan Brakeley is the Assistant Director at the Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement and serves as Community Friends’ staff advisor.
Sincerely,
Megan Brakeley ‘06
Community Friends Staff Coordinator
Assistant Director, Center for Community Engagement
Mentee Information
Child’s name:______Date: ______
Gender Identity: ______Date of Birth: ______
Home Address: ______
Home Phone: ______Alternate Phone: ______
Email: ______
School Attending (if applicable): ______
Is there someone able to provide transportation when needed? (circle one) YES NO See below:
______
Referral Source(leave blank if none applies)
Referring Agency or School: ______Phone: ______
Name of person making referral: ______
Relationship to applicant: ______
Parent/Guardian/Emergency Contact Information
Parent(s) or Guardian(s): ______Relationship to child: ______
Married Single Living with Partner Separated Divorced Widowed
Address: ______Phone:______
Employer Name: ______Phone: ______
First emergency contact: ______Phone:______
Second emergency contact: ______Phone:______
What are the child’s interests and hobbies? What kind of activities do they enjoy?(Please be specific.)
______
______
______
What are your reasons for referring this child to Community Friends?(Any specific concerns: medical, behavioral, etc.?)
______
______
______
What characteristics/experience would the ideal volunteer have in relating to this particular child?
______
______
______
How did you learn about the Community Friends Program? ______
Would the child prefer mentor of a particular gender? ______
Optional: Would you like this child to be matched through Manos Unidas (see attached letter for description)? Check if yes.
If yes, what is the primary language spoken at home? ______
What language(s) would the child be comfortable conversing in? ______
Please feel free to include additional comments on an attached sheet.
Once the Community Friends program has received this application, the child will be added to our records and thenmatched with an appropriate volunteer mentor. Please be aware that this process can take between 2-3 weeks. You are welcome to contact the office with questions at any time.
Please return this application
By mail:By email or fax:
Community Friends
20 Old Chapel Road
Community Engagement 802.443.2990 fax
Middlebury College802.443.3010 phone
Middlebury, VT 05753