Enrolling Children
Step 1...
When a child is referred to Amachi Pittsburgh, an initial phone intake will be conducted by a staff person to obtain basic information. Parents/caregivers will then be asked to schedule a home visit with one of our Outreach Coordinators.
Step 2...
The Outreach Coordinator will meet at the child’s home to conduct an interview with the parent/caregiver and the child(ren). This is to gather as much information as possible that will guide our staff in making a match with the most appropriate mentor from one of our member congregations/organizations. It also enables us to thoroughly review guidelines, expectations, benefits and all other aspects of our mentoring initiative. At this time, parents/caregivers will also be asked to sign off on all pertinent documents.
Step 3...
Based on information obtained through assessments conducted with mentors and families, Amachi’s Outreach Team will select a compatible mentor to potentially be matched with your child. Based on the availability of appropriate mentors, a match may or may not occur right away. In some cases, mentors and families have specific requests or limitations that may delay matching.
Step 4...
Each mentor/match will be placed under the supervision of an Amachi Pittsburgh Volunteer Coordinator (VC) from one of our member congregations/organizations. This individual serves as a liaison between our office and program participants and is on hand to provide support and guidance for matches, share best practices and address any concerns.
Ground Rules
Amachi Pittsburgh regularly monitors mentoring relationships, keeping in touch with the mentor, the caregiver, and the child. A parent or caregiver must be supportive of this relationship in order for his/her child to benefit as much as possible. Prior to accepting a child into our program, parents/caregivers must agree and adhere to the following:
- Help my child be ready for outings on time and be appropriately dressed.
- Be flexible about my family plans.
- Not restrict my child from seeing his/her mentor as a form of punishment.
- Not encourage other siblings and friends to participate in their outings.
- Discuss match activities with the mentor prior to the event and refuse participation in any activity I feel is inappropriate.
- Discuss activities with my child and show interest in an attempt to discern how he/she feels about the activities and how he/she feels about the mentor.
- Be prepared to give feedback about my child’s behavior, match activities, and feelings about the friendship in general, to our Volunteer Coordinator (VC).
- Keep in regular contact with the VC by responding to phone calls and letters in a timely fashion.
- Not ask personal favors of my child’s mentor.
- Not impose upon the mentor for free babysitting.
- Not ask or expect the mentor to discipline my child.
- Not criticize my child’s mentor in front of him/her. If I have concerns, I will contact my VC.
- Not embarrass my child by criticizing him/her in front of the mentor.
- Contact my VC immediately if a problem develops and agree to remain in consistent contact to
- Discuss match activities or concerns that affect my child’s interest.
Additional Resources
If your child has already been matched with a mentor, additional information on how to support your child’s relationship with a mentor is available from Mentoring for Meaningful Results: Asset-Building Tips, Tools, and Activities for Youth and Adults.