The Labour Center 275 West Broadway South Boston, MA 02127 617-464-8578

Stephanie Gould Marian

WELCOME TO T.E.A.M.!
Hello! Welcome to T.E.A.M! We are so excited that you and your family have decided to join our program. T.E.A.M. is dedicated to providing South Boston youth with caring, positive adult role models and mentors. We will work closely with you to find the best match for your youth and to provide supportive programs to meet your youths needs. From now on, we will be sending you flyers and invitations to upcoming events and activities. Please join us for as many of these as you can. We are always looking for ways to connect with our youth and families and to have a lot of fun! We really love hearing from our youth and families, so please dont hesitate to be in touch. Our door is always open and we look forward to having you in our program! Sincerely, Stephanie Marian-Gould
Program Coordinator

INSIDE THIS HANDBOOK

Welcome Note............2 History & Goals..........3 How Mentoring Helps ..........................3 Policies & Procedures 4 Confidentiality ...........4 Parent Roles & Resources...................5 Stages of Mentoring...5 FAQs ..........................6 Staff Contact Info.......7 Events @ T.E.A.M......7 Thank You!.................7

HISTORY
The South Boston T.E.A.M. program began in 1997, developed out of a community needs assessment from the United Way and the Labour Center. Since its beginning, nearly 200+ matches have been made and the program now serves 50+ teens a year. T.E.A.M. is a community-based oneon-one mentoring program in South Boston that matches local youth ages 10-16 with a caring adult mentor. Matches commit to meeting 2 hours a week for at least 1 year. Staff recruit, screen and train mentors and mentees, coordinate group activities, offer on-going match support and general youth outreach. The program hosts a drop-in group for unmatched youth, a youth board to plan program events, book club, and academic support. T.E.A.M. is a part of the Catholic Charities Labour Center, which first opened its doors in 1907. Catholic Charities is one of the largest social service agencies in Massachusetts with a mission of building a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people. Catholic Charities assists people without regard to faith, age, race, gender, or sexual orientation at over 25 sites, such as the Labour Center, in Eastern MA.

What I like about my mentor is that shes always there for me. - South Boston T.E.A.M. Mentee HOW CAN MENTORING HELP?
Strong mentoring relationships help to build personal power in youth and increase the amount of positive adult support that they have, both of which are major indicators of youth success. With South Boston T.E.A.M, mentoring can give youth the opportunity to build a positive, personal relationship with another caring adult, establish life skills ranging from learning how to make brownies from scratch to how to ride the T, and experiencing new and different things such as exploring Boston museums or going to a Celtics game. T.E.A.M. has 14 years experience running a youth mentoring program marked by positive youth outcomes, and has continued to make significant strides towards completion of its goals. T.E.A.M. surveys its mentees and has found that:
80% of surveyed mentees said that their attitude towards school is better 75% of respondents stated that they had never had a drink of alcohol

GOALS OF SOUTH BOSTON T.E.A.M.

South Boston T.E.A.M. seeks to achieve the following goals for our youth through our programs and services: Enhancing the Resiliency of Youth Fostering Increased Self-Esteem Strengthening School Attachment Encouraging the Ability to make Positive Life Choices

80% of youth reported, I feel more confident of myself 90% were better able to resist substances 86% rated the mentoring experience a positive one, citing profound impacts mentors had on their sense of self-esteem and healthy decision making ability

Research by the Liberty Mutual Mentoring Initiative indicates most youth involved in one-on-one mentoring experience a decrease in likelihood of substance abuse, an increase in self-confidence and confidence about the future, and an increase in school attendance. These findings match up with our T.E.A.M. surveys and demonstrate the tremendous impact mentoring can have on youth.

T.E.A.M. APPLICATION PROCEDURES: STEP BY STEP

1. 2. Complete T.E.A.M. Mentee Written Application Family and Youth Interview and Intake Session with Program Staff Youth attends Drop-In every Wednesday while on wait-list Possible Mentor is found Youth attends Pre-Match Mentee Training Match Meeting: Possible Mentor, Mentee, and Family meet with program staff Once all parties support the match, it is official! First Match Hang-out! Attend first T.E.A.M Match Activity Program Staff complete regular check-ins with Mentor, Mentee, and Family

3. 4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9. 10.

Girls Night 2011!

PROGRAM POLICIES
At South Boston T.E.A.M., we follow various program policies to ensure the well-being, safety, success, and happiness of our T.E.A.M. participants: Family Involvement: Your child and their mentor will be doing fun activities, and it is easy for your childs family members to want to join in. To ensure that your child and their mentor has the chance to develop trust and a close relationship, family members cannot join mentor/mentee activities more than once a month. In addition, permission must be given from your childs mentor.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The conversations between your child and their mentor are kept confidential. This upholds a sense of trust and confidence in the mentor relationship. The only time in which this confidentiality agreement is broken, is if a mentor is concerned about your childs safety or wellbeing. The mentor is obligated to inform the T.E.A.M. program staff, who will then complete the appropriate steps in accordance with the MA Department of Children and Families Mandatory Reporting Laws.

Drop-In: While your child is waiting for a mentor, they are invited to our weekly drop-in activity every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30. The program staff runs an activity, such as a cookie-making workshop or a museum field trip, and is intended to give your child 2 hours with a caring adult while they wait for a mentor. T.E.A.M. mails monthly calendars to your home in order to inform you of upcoming drop-in activities. Once your child is matched, they must follow our Open House Drop-In policy. All matched youth are only allowed to attend the last drop-in activity of each month. Since your child now has a mentor, instead they will be meeting their mentors once a week and can attend our Match activities.

Permission Slips: The permission slip in your welcome intake packet applies to all general program events, such as a field trip during Drop-In. For all special and new events, such as a college tour, an additional required permission slip will be sent home for you to sign and return to T.E.A.M.

STAGES OF THE MENTOR RELATIONSHIP

Stage 1: Developing Rapport and Building Trust -Establish confidentiality and trust begins to develop -Setting goals for year together Stage 2: The Middle, Reaching Goals -Matches may reach a comfortable level of closeness -Matches may experience ups and downs that the program staff will readily help with navigating Stage 3: Closure? -One-year check-in meeting to reflect on the past year together and determine if they would like to continue their match past 1 year

WHAT IS MY ROLE AS A PARENT/GUARDIAN?

Parents/Guardians in the mentoring relationship are important and valuable to the mentor, mentee, and the program staff. Your childs mentor is not meant to be another parent to your child, a mentor is just another caring adult in your childs life. Your role in the mentoring relationship is to help support the mentor/mentee match. Your support can come in several different ways!

Maintaining Boundaries: When your child gets home from spending time with their mentor, you can check-in and simply ask How did it go? Although it is hard, refrain from asking questions like Can you tell me everything you talked about? Allow them to develop a level of privacy and trust with their mentor and support this space. If you have questions or concerns with your childs time spent with their mentor, do not hesitate to contact program staff.

Communication: If your childs mentor calls the house and needs to leave a message, you can make sure your child receives that message and remind them to return the call. Returning phone calls, texts, emails, etc. are important in the line of mentor-mentee communication, and you can act as a support to help your child with this new role as a mentee.

T.E.A.M. Youth enjoying food at our Annual Back-to-School BBQ!

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AT THE LABOURE

The Labour Center is a community based, multi-service agency that has been part of the fabric of the South Boston Neighborhood for over 100 years. Serving more than 3,500 residents of South Boston and neighborhoods annually, the Labour Center offers a wide variety of services. Now, as a part of the T.E.A.M. and Labour community, we are happy to connect with you with the many community resources offered here. These include, but are not limited to the following:

If match continues:
-Staff and match re-evaluate check-in and hang out schedules -Matches may change hangouts to every other week/ once a month

Early Childhood Care and Education After-school tutoring with the Youth Tutoring Youth program for children in grades 3 to 6 in both summer and school-year sessions Youth and Family Counseling with Licensed and Specialized Social Workers through our Family Intervention Program Basic Needs Emergency Assistance Program that may provide rent, mortgage, utility, and food assistance or referrals Nurse Assistant/Home Health Aides Training Programs Refugee and Immigrant Services including assistance with Refugee Resettlement, Community Interpreter Services, Immigration Legal Services, and more Thanksgiving and Holiday Food Assistance New Winter Coats through the Operation Warm program

If match closes:
-Staff helps ease match into the idea of closing -Staff helps match find the good in goodbye -Match completes closing/ transition ritual -Sadness is expected, and thats okay and normal

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is a mentor? A: A mentor is a friend and caring adult. They come from the community and volunteer their time in hopes of making a difference in a youths life. A mentor is not a babysitter, ATM machine, social worker, disciplinarian, or parent. Q: How do you find these mentors? A: We actively recruit mentors by attending volunteer fairs, online and community advertisements, speaking to community organizations and businesses , and word-of-mouth. Many of our current mentors talk to their friends and family about being a mentor, and often refer them to our program. Q:What do mentors and mentees do together? A: Our program is community based so matches decide what and when to meet on their own. Matches will do things like go the library, try a new recipe, go to a museum, see a sports game, etc. Q: Do I get to meet the mentor? A: Yes, you will get to meet your childs mentor at the match meeting (which will take place in the mentees home).

I am a mentor because making a kid smile somehow brings me more than joy than I ever thought possible. -South Boston T.E.A.M. Mentor
Q: Do I get to help choose who my child is matched with? A: On the mentee application, there is a section where the mentee can write their preferences for a mentor. Also, at the intake session, you are given the chance to express any preferences, such as religion, race, etc. to program staff. Q: How do I know my child will be safe when they spend time with their mentor? A: We perform a Criminal Offender Record Check and Sexual Offender Record Check, as well as, a face-to-face interview, 3 reference checks, a 5 hour mentor training, and supplemental ongoing mentor trainings. We also check in on a regular basis with the mentor and mentee to make sure everything is going well. Q: What do I do if Im worried about the match? A: Program staff is always open to any questions or concerns. We are here to help and are proactive problem solvers. Our contact information is provided on the next page. In addition, we complete check-ins with parents as needed, and will contact you if we identify any questions or concerns about the match. Q: How long will my child wait for a mentor? A: The waiting period varies and could be a few weeks or months. We want to make sure the match has a positive experience, and we spend a lot of time determining a good match. We want to match shared personalities and interests, and this often means that once your child is ready to have a mentor, they are not matched until a mentor who we feel is right for your child comes along. Q: Does it cost money to be in the South Boston T.E.A.M. program? A: No, we do not expect our mentors, mentees, or their families to have to spend money to be a part of T.E.A.M. Our program focuses on budget-friendly activities for our matches and any events, such as our monthly Match activities, are free for program participants. If a match has difficulty thinking of activities to do, we are happy to help the match think of a budget-friendly activity list.

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REGULAR EVENTS AT T.E.A.M. STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION

South Boston T.E.A.M. staff can be reached in the office: 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday
South Boston T.E.A.M. is more than a mentoring program, we provide many other programs and events for your child! All programs are led and run by staff. These include, but are not limited to the following (subject to change):
Book Club A chance to read and do a fun activity to go along with each chapter! Offered in the fall, every Monday from 4-6pm. Walking Club We spend a few hours outside walking to various areas in Boston. We get to explore, exercise, and have fun! Offered in the spring, every Monday. Junior Planning Advisory Council (J-PAC) J-PAC is a T.E.A.M. leadership group that plans events, and members receive extra academic support. Every other Tuesday from 4:30-6pm. Drop-In We offer fun activities for any youth that are on the mentor waiting list so that they still get 2 hours/week with adults! Every Wednesday from 3:30-5:30pm. Art Club A time to explore and participate in different forms of art. Projects include oil canvas paintings, paper mach, watercolors, and more! Offered every other Tuesday from 4 to 5:30pm. Monthly Match activities Every month, T.E.A.M. provides a free, fun activity for our matches. In the past, they have gone to sports games, Spectacle Island, and more! Girls Night/Boys Night For 1 night, boys and girls split up and engage in a fun-filled night of activities! Past activities have been karaoke and visits to Dave & Busters! Girls Self-Defense We attend a free class where we learn new self-defense moves, have fun, and get pizza at the end! Offered in the fall and winter, every other Thursday at 6pm.

Program CoordinatorStephanie GouldMarian

Stephanie_GouldMarian@ccab.org

617-464-8578 AmeriCorps Member617-464-8508

TO CONTACT THE LABOUR CENTER:

Phone: 617-268-9670 Fax: 617-268-3088 Hours: 8am-6pm Monday to Friday

Academic/College Events- To help build academic skills, we offer a range of academic events including college tours, job readiness workshops, etc.

THANK YOU
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to partner with you in supporting your child through a positive mentoring experience! Your willingness to be part of our program is extremely appreciated, and caring parents/guardians like you are so valuable to our program and help us reach our goals! South Boston T.E.A.M. would not be possible without you! Our partnership will allow your child to grow in tremendous ways and continue to make us proud of our South Boston community. The South Boston T.E.A.M. program staff is always here for any of your concerns, comments, questions, or ideas and we love to hear from you! Our contact information is listed to the left, as well as how to contact the Labour Center. Please do not hesitate to contact us! Thank you again for your involvement with South Boston T.E.A.M. and the Labour Community. We are excited to welcome you to the T.E.A.M. Community!