AG Bell Announces Mentoring Program
Editor: AG Bell recently announced a mentoring program that links
kids with hearing loss and adults with hearing loss in a mentor
relationship. The goal of the program is to help the kids deal with
their hearing loss. They're looking for both mentors and mentees. Here's
the press release, in the form of a letter from AG Bell Executive
Director Donna Sorkin.
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Dear Friends:
AG Bell is thrilled to announce the launching of a new mentoring
program, entitled Bell's Kids. This program will link youth (ages 8-12)
and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing for mentoring relationships.
The goals of Bell's Kids are to help children with hearing loss:
- increase their self-esteem and overall social skills
- develop friendships and share common experiences
- acquire insights about themselves and their hearing loss
- become more proactive and proficient in using hearing technology and
other strategies of improving their listening and talking skills
Mentoring provides a wonderful and unique opportunity to directly
enhance a child's life by furthering his or her awareness of and belief
in their own potential. It is especially important for children with
hearing loss who listen and speak to have adult role models who do the
same. Research has proven that young people who have mentors have a
better chance of succeeding and are more likely to make positive
choices. Through support and learning from a mentor, a young person's
self-esteem is strengthened and they are better able to overcome life's
hurdles and envision their goals.
Bell's Kids will be piloted in the following locations:
Denver, CO;
Southern CA;
Northern CA;
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN;
Philadelphia, PA/NJ;
San Antonio, TX;
Washington DC.
Mentors from these cities will attend a training program on July
30-31, 2001 in Bethesda, MD. This program will immediately follow AG
Bell's Human Genome Project and Hearing Loss conference.
Bell's Kids is a program of and for AG Bell members. New and
long-standing members are encouraged to apply. If this program sounds
appealing to you (either as a mentor or for a child you know), we
encourage you to fill out the enclosed application materials. Mentors
and mentees will meet at least once a month (minimum 4 hours). Mentors
will choose the activities (such as bowling, board games, arts and
crafts, museum going, sports, helping with homework, etc.) based on the
interest and age of the child. The program will run from September
through June, with the option of continuing throughout the summer.
Mentors are required to make a 1-year commitment. A thorough background
and reference check will be conducted for each mentor applicant. AG Bell
reserves the right to decline any applicants that are deemed not
appropriate for the program.
If you are interested in applying to become a Bell's Kids mentor or
mentee, please submit the application materials below. Mentor applicants
should apply as soon as possible (space is limited), but no later than
June 15, 2001. The deadline for mentee applications for the 2001-2002
school year is July 30, 2001. If you have any questions, please contact
Michele Duchin, Director of Member Services and Applied Research, at
202-337-5220x118 (voice), 202-337-5221 (TTY) or mduchin@agbell.org.
We hope you take part in this exciting and enriching opportunity!
Sincerely,
Donna Sorkin
Executive Director
THE APPLICATIONS, RELEASE and INVITATION are available in PDF format.
PDF format allows you to view this form electronically on most
computers. The freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader <http://www.adobe.com>
is required to view and print PDF files.
For Mentoring Application, please download http://www.agbell.org/mtorapp.pdf
For Release and Authorization, please download http://www.agbell.org/release.pdf
For Mentee Invitation, please download http://www.agbell.org/invite.pdf
For Mentee (Youth) Application, please download http://www.agbell.org/youthapp.pdf
