BRATTLEBORO — With students flocking back to schools across Windham County, Youth Services seeks caring, competent adult volunteer mentors willing to put in at least two afternoons a month to help at-risk youth prepare for work, college, and full, rich lives beyond.
Through its Ready-to-Achieve Mentoring Program, or RAMP, Youth Services supports dozens of youth, ages 13-17, at Brattleboro Union High School, Bellows Falls Union High School, and Leland & Gray Union High School.
According to Michelle Bos-Lun, RAMP director for Youth Services, the program helps area students envision a brighter future and then develop the skills and steps to get there.
Ultimately, mentors will help youth identified as at risk of dropping out or getting in trouble with the law to stay in school and develop career-readiness and communication skills.
Adult mentors join students on site tours to businesses and colleges, occasionally give informative, persuasive, or inspirational speeches, and help participants design and pursue career plans.
Bos-Lun said in a press statement that participants are encouraged to consider careers in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math), and that mentors with connections to those professions are especially valued.
An interest in youth is the most valuable skill, and the STEM field can loosely encompass most backgrounds, she said.
“We've had successful mentors who have been car mechanics, retired social workers, farmers, or small business owners,” Bos-Lun explained.
“What we look for in a mentor is the ability to relate to young people who often live in difficult circumstances, and a willingness to share good job readiness skills or other real-world skills that might spark a teenager to build his best and brightest future,” she added.
RAMP meets once a week during the academic year: Tuesdays at 2:45 p.m. at Leland & Gray Union High School; Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m at Brattleboro Union High School; and Thursdays at 2:45 p.m. at Bellows Falls Union High School.
Although mentors can work individually with students who share career interests, it is more typical that mentors interact with RAMP participants in groups, Bos-Lun said.