Professional Mentor (Friend)

FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN VALUES 

Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth. 

PUT CHILDREN FIRST 

We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth's needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth. 

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS ON LOVE 

We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.

COMMIT TO EMPOWERMENT 

We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other. 

PURSUE GOALS RELENTLESSLY 

We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes. 

UNLOCK ALL POTENTIAL

We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.

All employees are expected to perform their roles in alignment with our values and to commit to create a sense of belonging for themselves, our colleagues and the children and families we serve.

Requirements

A Friend works intensively with eight to ten (8-10) children as a positive adult role model to develop a caring, trusting and sustained relationship with each child.  For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote their strengths, talents and abilities; help assure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior.  A Friend will fully document activities and participate in an ongoing evaluation process.  Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children.  A Friend must also know, understand, honor and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, principles and policies, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function. 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

· Develop and sustain a long-term, caring, protective, and loving relationship with each child. 

· Spend time with children, one-on-one.

· Partner with parents/caregivers to provide concrete and social emotional supports for the family.

· Set realistic expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, abilities, and needs.

· Teach life skills and help develop a talent/skill/area of interest with each child.

· Deepen connections for youth through incorporating specific community knowledge in programming.

· Provide enrichment resources and activities that include opportunities for identity development.

· Develop positive relationships with families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life.

· Reinforce basic academic skills.

· Maintain a 40-hour work schedule that includes afternoons, evenings, and weekends (normal working days are Tuesday through Saturday with Sundays and Mondays off).

· Maintain spending within budgetary guidelines.

· Complete, distribute, and collect time summaries, activity journals, short-term plans, expense reports, and evaluations materials accurately and in a timely manner.

· Attend and actively participate in team meeting and staff functions.

· Maintain current driver's license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance.

· Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.

· Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities.

· Provide information and support to the executive team on related activities.

· Fulfill other responsibilities as requested.

Essential Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to partner with parents/caregiver to provide concrete and social emotional support for the family;

• Ability to develop trusting relationships with children, families, teachers, and others involved in each child’s life;

• Ability to relate to children and to develop and sustain trusting, supportive relationships with them; 

• Strong interpersonal skills;  

• Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied capacities and settings to help them learn and grow; 

• Ability to cultivate trusting relationships with children, parents, teachers and community members; 

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and communicate appropriately within the workplace;  

• Ability to use creativity and initiative in planning activities to continually develop children; 

• Ability to work independently and as a team player; 

• Ability to manage several concurrent issues and solve problems effectively.

• Ability to set goals and develop plans to meet those goals to ensure the development of each child; 

• Ability to complete administrative tasks accurately and on time; 

• Ability to handle high mobility and driving demands safely and with good judgment; 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; organizational and time management skills; 

• Basic computer and keyboarding skills, proficiency with e-mail systems, familiarity with MS Outlook and Access (or other database applications); 

• Ability to exercise good judgment independently, in various situations and environments, and under varying levels of stress. 

Additional Job Requirements:

• Maintain current driver’s license, good driving record, and vehicle insurance; 

• Maintain First Aid/CPR certification; 

• Transport children in personal vehicle as required for mentoring activities; 

Required Education, Experience, and Abilities:

· 2 or 4-year degree

· Alternatively, at least seven years’ progressive experience working with children and families will be considered in lieu of a college degree.

Working Hours:

This is a full-time, non-exempt position with a standard workweek of Monday through Friday.  Due to the nature of a Friend’s role, work hours are flexible and may vary based on the individual needs, schedules, and activities of assigned youth and their families. The position requires some afternoon and evening availability and may include occasional weekend work.

Friends are expected to exercise appropriate flexibility and discretion in developing their schedules while ensuring that they meet program expectations and the needs of the youth and families they serve. Friends are also required to attend scheduled staff meetings, trainings, organizational events, and other required program activities, which may occur outside of the standard Monday–Friday schedule.

The Program requires that Friends spend an average of four hours each week with each assigned youth, both in and outside of school, as appropriate. How this time is scheduled may vary based on the needs of each youth and family and within established program guidelines.

Friends of the Children is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to addressing discriminatory practices. The equal employment opportunity policy of Friends of the Children provides fair and equal opportunities for all employees and job applicants. Friends of the Children hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.