The purpose of the Mentorship Program hosted by the Alive Center, is to allow 5-10th grade teens the opportunity to be mentored by high school upperclassmen in order for that upperclassmen to bond in a positive way, and to cultivate confidence along with high self esteem in the mentee. The time that is spent between mentor and mentee will be a sacred time, spent one-on-one taking classes, playing games, hanging out, and tutoring without distraction. Our aim during that time between mentor and mentee is to leverage the mentee’s excitement towards, what makes them come alive.

The program will run during the school year, at the same time as Alive Drop- In Hours (3pm-7pm) in the Alive Center, 500 W. Fifth Avenue, Naperville, IL. Membership of both mentors and mentees will be done in 30 hour increments. After 30 hours are complete, the mentor and mentee will both have the option to continue with the mentorship or end the meetings. Sessions will either be twice a week for one-hour increments, or once a week for a two hour increment. All mentoring sessions take place at the Alive Center.

The mentee in this respect will discuss their interests, and what day and time during Drop- in Hours they would like to meet in their application. Soon after that, the program will start and they will be paired with an excited upperclassman that shares their interests to start hanging out, building a rapport with each other, and having fun. Most importantly though, the mentee will be able to delve into what makes them come alive along with building the self confidence that they deserve.

The Mentor that your child will be paired with will have undergone an application process by the time they become a mentor. This included a written application including two references, an in person interview with Jeff Burchett, the Teen self-esteem Coordinator at Alive, and then an orientation/ team building meeting to ensure the success of the mentor/mentee pair.