Local Coaches' Support of Mentoring

Leedey Public Schools' BISON coaches support mentoring,
Team Oklahoma, and the Coaches' Mentoring Challenge.
Head Baseball Coach Eric Castle, Elementary Basketball
Coach Kris Gore, Head Girls' Basketball Coach Leah Beer,
and Head Boys' Basketball Coach Lance Carpenter
all are B.I.S.O.N. Mentors, too. 11-10-15

Below are ideas borrowed from Team Oklahoma in the Coaches' Mentoring Challenge. OSU's Coach Mike Gundy and OU's Coach Bob Stoops will co-captain Team Oklahoma in this multi-state new mentor recruiting campaign. Kansas State University's Coach Bill Snyder and University of Nebraska's Coach Tom Osborne began the challenge in 2008.

Why Coaches?

• Coaches are natural group mentors. 

• Their upperclassmen peer mentor younger teammates.

• Fans respect and follow coaches so their voices matter.

Coaching and mentoring are synonymous, and we salute all coaches who have shaped and are shaping young men and women into citizens of character, action, and discipline.

Coaches cannot mentor every youth in their towns, but they can use their considerable influence to advocate for mentoring, recruit new mentors, and/or spur a pilot mentoring program where none exists.

Requirement for Endorsing the Challenge/Mentoring
The only requirement for signing up for the challenge is that the Boren Mentoring Initiative is allowed to use coaches' photos and endorsement in PR and social media to advocate mentoring and recruiting new mentors.

Rogers State University Coaches with
mentors and mentees, July 2016

Above is another example of a group photo coaches at RSU in Claremore took to endorse mentoring. Pictured are Director of Athletics Ryan Erwin, Golf Coach Josh Fosdick, Cross Country/Track and Field Coach Chris McCormick, Baseball Coach Chris Klimas, Men’s Basketball Coach Justin Barkley, and Men’s Soccer Derek Larkin.

Optional Ways to Support the Coaches’ Mentoring Challenge (and mentoring all through the year)

Anywhere on Campus or at a Staff Meeting

Pose with signs supporting mentoring and send us the photo. (See above.)

At a Game

• Allow mentoring programs to host a mentor recruitment table at a home game. 

• Allow a mentoring public service announcement to be read over the loudspeaker during one or more home games. Or prerecord your own public service announcement.

• Provide a limited number of free game tickets for mentors/mentees to attend a game and/or a receive a free concession item.

• Give mentors/mentees a moment for on-field recognition.

• As a group, allow mentors/mentees to meet you and your players for autographs

• Spotlight any of your team or fellow coaches who mentor.

Within Your Community

• Encourage athletes, parents, fellow coaches and fans to become mentors.

• Issue a local press release in partnership with community mentoring programs.

• Print and display Coaches’ Mentoring Challenge or mentoring posters in the school or on campus or have students design their own.

• Share your own mentoring stories with local civic and religious groups to recruit mentors.

On Social Media

• Post photos and updates about your involvement in mentoring or the Coaches’ Mentoring Challenge to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or other social media outlets. Please include the hashtag #okcoacheschallenge at the end of your post.

• Send photos with captions and news of your efforts to bwoodrome@ofe.org. Please note that students under 18 must have parent/guardian permission to publish photos in print and online.

Advocate or endorse the development of a local mentoring program, such as:

• A peer mentoring program on your campus for upperclassmen mentoring freshmen.

• A program for college or high school students to mentor elementary and middle school students.

• Career-oriented mentoring program by community professionals for high school and college students.

• After practice one evening a week, have a team mentoring program, such as Camp Fire Club or some other mentoring model that teaches life skills, community service, and outdoor activities. Your team could also serve as peer mentors to younger students.

[On 7-12-16, we visited with Sara Williams, Rogers State University's Assistant AD, and we can hardly wait to post the creative ways RSU athletes mentor and/or interact with community youth. Stay tuned!]

http://okcoacheschallenge.org/

Ret. 7-11-16

Teacher Mentor and Community Mentor Model

2015 Bob S. Gee Scholars and their mentors gather for meeting at the Miami Public Schools Administration offices. The program, which provides mentoring and financial support to students, is sponsored by the Miami Public Schools Enrichment Foundation.

2015 Bob S. Gee Scholars and their mentors gather for meeting at the Miami Public Schools Administration offices. The program, which provides mentoring and financial support to students, is sponsored by the Miami Public Schools Enrichment Foundation.

Miami Public Schools Enrichment Foundation has created a two-mentor plus model. 

Highlights of Gee Scholars

• Teacher mentor
• Community mentor
• Mentee: FRSL, 8th - 12th grade
• Mentee's progress tracked
• Financial assistance

Robert S. Gee Scholarship Program
 

The Robert S. Gee Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Miami Public Schools Enrichment Foundation, was established in 2005 to provide both financial and mentoring support to help launch students toward personal and academic success.
 

"The program seeks out students in eighth through 12th grades who have shown a high degree of academic ability but whose socio-economic situation presents barriers to reaching their full potential," said longtime program chairman Ginny Stinson.
 

To participate, students must be nominated by a teacher and be eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program. Students selected for the program receive intensive mentoring from both a teacher mentor and community mentor, who is often a foundation board member. The student and his or her mentors establish their own mentoring schedules, and the chairperson of the Gee Scholarship Committee meets with each student on a regular basis to track his or her progress.
 

Scholars also receive financial assistance to pursue academic and extracurricular activities. Once selected, the students remain in the program throughout high school. The program is funded from community donations and interest income from the Gee Scholarship Fund, providing approximately $500 to $700 per year to each student for school-related expenses, which must be approved by the scholarship committee.
 

"Appropriate requests for financial assistance include almost anything that assists the student in pursing academic or extracurricular endeavors, such as band, debate, science fair, etc.," Stinson said. "Senior Gee Scholars often use their funds for college applications, graduation supplies or college enrollment fees."
 

Since the program began, it has distributed more than $25,000 to 30 Gee Scholars. Stinson said the program's success can be measured by the strong community support and the many Gee Scholars who have been admitted to college, including two who received full-ride college scholarships.
 

"Gee Scholars themselves help raise funds and general community support for the program by sharing their stories and plans for the future at the foundation's annual fundraising dinner, the Blue Event," Stinson said.

Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. (2016) Three Public School Foundation ProgramsTo Be Recognized for Outstanding Achievement [Press release]. 

                      

How to Deal with Stress II

Fight Stress with Healthy Habits  Updated:Nov 11,2015

Healthy habits can protect you from the harmful effects of stress. Here are 10 positive healthy habits you may want to develop.

1. Talk with family and friends.

   A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Call or writer friends and family to share your feelings, hopes and joys and ask them to share theirs.

2. Engage in daily physical activity.

   Regular physical activity can relieve mental and physical tension. Physically active adults have lower risk of depression and loss of mental functioning. Physical activity can be a great source of pleasure, too. Try walking, swimming, biking or dancing every day.

3. Embrace the things you are able to change.

   While we may not be able to do some of the things we once enjoyed, we are never too old to learn a new skill, work toward a goal, or love and help others.

4. Remember to laugh.

   Laughter makes us feel good. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud at a joke, a funny movie or a comic strip, even when we're alone.

5. Give up the bad habits.

   Too much alcohol, cigarettes or caffeine can increase blood pressure. If you smoke, decide to quit now. If you do drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

6. Slow down.

   Try to "pace" instead of "race." Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done without having to rush.

7. Get enough sleep.

   Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can't sleep, take steps to help reduce stress and depression. Physical activity also may improve the quality of sleep and life in general.

8. Get organized.

   Use "to do" lists to help you focus on your most important tasks. Approach big tasks one step at a time. For example, start by organizing just one part of your life — your car, desk, kitchen, closet, cupboard or drawer.

9. Practice giving back.

   Volunteer your time or spend time helping out a friend. Helping others helps you.

10. Try not to worry.

    The world won't end if your grass isn't mowed or your kitchen isn't cleaned. You may need to do these things, but right now might not be the right time.

Learn more:

• The AHA Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults
• What is stress management?

Last reviewed 6/2014

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/FightStressWithHealthyHabits/Fight-Stress-with-Healthy-Habits_UCM_307992_Article.jsp#.V3_tVdIrLcs

Ret. 7-8-16

How to Deal with Stress I

We model and teach ways to behave. Use these tips to lessen the stress of mentees, selves, and others.

Four Ways to Deal with Stress      Updated:Jul 15,2014

Here are four simple techniques for managing stress:

1. Positive Self-Talk
   Self-talk is one way to deal with stress. We all talk to ourselves; sometimes we talk out loud but usually we keep self-talk in our heads. Self-talk can be positive ("I can do this" or "Things will work out") or negative ("I'll never get well" or "I'm so stupid").
   Negative self-talk increases stress. Positive self-talk helps you calm down and control stress. With practice, you can learn to turn negative thoughts into positive ones.For example:
   
   

   Negative	Positive
   "I can't do this."	"I'll do the best I can."
   "Everything is going wrong."	"I can handle things if I take one step at a time."
   "I hate it when this happens."	"I know how to deal with this; I've done it before."

   
   To help you feel better, practice positive self-talk every day — in the car, at your desk, before you go to bed or whenever you notice negative thoughts.
   Having trouble getting started? Try positive statements such as these:
   
   • "I've got this."
   • "I can get help if I need it."
   • "We can work it out."
   • "I won't let this problem get me down."
   • "Things could be worse."
   • "I'm human, and we all make mistakes."
   • "Some day I'll laugh about this."
   • "I can deal with this situation."
     
     Remember: Positive self-talk helps you relieve stress and deal with the situations that cause you stress.
      
2. Emergency Stress Stoppers
   There are many stressful situations — at work, at home, on the road and in public places. We may feel stress because of poor communication, too much work and everyday hassles like standing in line. Emergency stress stoppers help you deal with stress on the spot.
   
   Try these emergency stress stoppers. You may need different stress stoppers for different situations and sometimes it helps to combine them.
   • Count to 10 before you speak.
   • Take three to five deep breaths.
   • Walk away from the stressful situation, and say you'll handle it later.
   • Go for a walk.
   • Don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry" if you make a mistake.
   • Set your watch five to 10 minutes ahead to avoid the stress of being late.
   • Break down big problems into smaller parts. For example, answer one letter or phone call per day, instead of dealing with everything at once.
   • Drive in the slow lane or avoid busy roads to help you stay calm while driving.
   • Smell a rose, hug a loved one or smile at your neighbor.
   • Consider meditation or prayer to break the negative cycle.
      
3. Finding Pleasure
   When stress makes you feel bad, do something that makes you feel good. Doing things you enjoy is a natural way to fight off stress.
   
   You don't have to do a lot to find pleasure. Even if you're ill or down, you can find pleasure in simple things such as going for a drive, chatting with a friend or reading a good book.
   
   Try to do at least one thing every day that you enjoy, even if you only do it for 15 minutes.
   
   Such as:
   1. Start an art project (oil paint, sketch, create a scrap book or finger paint with grandchildren).
   2. Take up a hobby, new or old.
   3. Read a favorite book, short story, magazine or newspaper.
   4. Have coffee or a meal with friends.
   5. Play golf, tennis, ping-pong or bowl.
   6. Sew, knit or crochet.
   7. Listen to music during or after you practice relaxation.
   8. Take a nature walk — listen to the birds, identify trees and flowers.
   9. Make a list of everything you still want to do in life.
   10. Watch an old movie on TV or rent a video.
   11. Take a class at your local college.
   12. Play cards or board games with family and friends.
        
4. Daily Relaxation
   Relaxation is more than sitting in your favorite chair watching TV. To relieve stress, relaxation should calm the tension in your mind and body. Some good forms of relaxation are yoga, tai chi (a series of slow, graceful movements) and meditation.
   
   Like most skills, relaxation takes practice. Many people join a class to learn and practice relaxation skills.
   
   Deep breathing is a form of relaxation you can learn and practice at home using the following steps. It's a good skill to practice as you start or end your day. With daily practice, you will soon be able to use this skill whenever you feel stress.
   1. Sit in a comfortable position with your feet on the floor and your hands in your lap or lie down. Close your eyes.
   2. Picture yourself in a peaceful place. Perhaps you're lying on the beach, walking in the mountains or floating in the clouds. Hold this scene in your mind.
   3. Inhale and exhale. Focus on breathing slowly and deeply.
   4. Continue to breathe slowly for 10 minutes or more.
   5. Try to take at least five to 10 minutes every day for deep breathing or another form of relaxation.

Last reviewed 6/2014

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/StressManagement/FourWaystoDealWithStress/Four-Ways-to-Deal-with-Stress_UCM_307996_Article.jsp#.V3_peNIrLcs   

Ret. 7-8-16

5 Questions

While researching mentoring for a special population, we ran across this article. The questions, not restricted to business mentoring, are powerful for self or others.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Five Questions Every Mentor Must Ask

• Anthony K. Tjan

MARCH 25, 2009

One of my partners, Mats Lederhausen, recently shared with me a mentorship framework, first inspired by wellness guru, Deepak Chopra, that he’s evolved and used over the years. The framework is an amazingly simple-yet-powerful set of five critical questions. As venture capitalists and advisors, we spend significant time partnering with portfolio companies and very often find ourselves in a mentoring role. These five questions, when asked in the order presented, form an effective diagnostic tool that can provide better guidance to mentees, employees, or generally anyone with whom you are playing the role of a counselor. Additionally, they can serve as a self-diagnosis of one’s own capabilities and opportunities.

Here are the questions:

1. What is it that you really want to be and do?

2. What are you doing really well that is helping you get there?

3. What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there?

4. What will you do differently tomorrow to meet those challenges?

5. How can I help / where do you need the most help?

Let’s briefly look at each question:

1. What is it that you really want to be and do? This question is about aspiration and purpose. The reason why someone is doing what they are doing should come out here. The question is also meant to get at the business goals and broader aspirations of an individual – someone wishing to be successful in business so that they can do more to help others, for example. The answer to question one should surface the driving passion of individuals – what is it they do or wish they could be great at doing?

2. What are you doing really well that is helping you get there? This question helps spotlight a core strength and the person’s ability to execute towards his/her goal. What is someone naturally good at doing? Detailed and standardized operations? Leading and motivating staff? Numbers? What is it that someone does better than the average person that can help her achieve her aspiration?

3. What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there? This is about facilitating an honest and critical assessment of the roadblocks, challenges or weaknesses in a person or company that is slowing their ability to win the game; to meet the goal from question one.

4. What will you do different tomorrow to meet those challenges? Questions two and three help determine whether people are spending the right time on the right things. Progress cannot be measured just by hard work. Someone may have a great work ethic, but if he is not focused on the right priorities, then “you’re making good time, but you’re lost,” as another one of my partners likes to say. People also have a tendency to practice and repeat what they are already good at doing. It is human nature to show off your best side and hide weaknesses. As a kid playing racquet sports, I remember being asked once why I kept practicing my forehand when my backhand sucked. Use this question to probe whether the person has the aptitude to change behavior. Will the person practice start practicing his backhand?

5. How can I help / where do you need the most help? The answers to the first four questions matched against areas where you as a mentor have particular strengths, relationships, or learning resources – should help determine how you can best help someone achieve the goal.

These questions will help you assess where you can really help an individual or a company. Try these five critical questions the next time you are interviewing a mentee candidate, the next time you have a mentoring session, or answer them yourself as a self-diagnostic. The answers can help you or your mentees put together a sensible game plan for forward progress.

This content was adapted for inclusion in the HBR Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need.

---

Anthony Tjan is CEO, Managing Partner and Founder of the venture capital firm Cue Ball, vice chairman of the advisory firm Parthenon, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck (HBR Press, 2012).

https://hbr.org/2009/03/five-questions-every-mentor-mu.html  

More about Tony Tjan today   http://www.cueball.com/people/tony-tjan/ 

Ret. 7-5-16

Cops' Mentoring Kids

In looking at police and other public safety organizations' mentoring programs, we found these adaptable outreach/relationship building suggestions.

 Cops and Kids with Tom Wetzel

Cops and kids: 5 steps to create a mentoring program

The most successful police mentoring programs not only build bridges with the community, but also ultimately lead to excellent recruitment opportunities for future officers

Mar 12, 2015

Many agencies across the country are revisiting — and reinvigorating — Community Oriented Policing programs in order to address concerns about police use of force and the relationships we have with those we serve. Police agencies need to find innovative and cost effective ways to further advance this effort, and one valuable component in this mission is the development of structured mentoring programs involving police officers and young people — particularly at-risk kids in need of direction.  

By reaching out to young people — especially those in need of solid role models — we can make a real difference in the lives of children and their families and help build bridges of long-term trust and confidence.  

The following is a basic, five-point blueprint for a creating a mentoring program which utilizes a reasonable level of manpower and funding and which can produce dividends for generations. When done well, at-risk kids can be redirected on better paths, their family lives can improve, lifetime friendships can be made, and overall trust within community can be enhanced. The most successful police mentoring programs not only build bridges with the community, but also ultimately lead to excellent recruitment opportunities for future officers.

1. Create Initial Strategic Development

An agency should establish their mentoring program with written policy and guidelines, accountability, measuring tools, and earmarked funding. The agency ideally should try to work strategically in coordination with schools, social service agencies, and city recreation departments to help identify and align at-risk young people with interested and dedicated police officers. By involving community stakeholders from the beginning, you can begin to create positive momentum before you even begin to meet with and mentor the kids themselves. 

Once the initial development of the program is done, there are four simple tactics which can establish a general foundation for a good mentoring program; additional elements can be added later.

2. Invite Kids to Roll Call and Ridealongs

Too often, some kids have known nothing but negative experiences with police officers — whether it involved their own arrests as juveniles or having officers respond to their homes for domestic violence calls — both of which are highly stressful and traumatic experiences for young people. 

Young people assigned to a mentor can attend periodic roll calls and participate in ridealongs with their mentor. This affords them the opportunity to interact with officers in a supportive and positive manner and lets them see up close how an officer works and what he or she goes through.  

These initial experiences can change a child’s opinion of cops and help them recognize that they really are the “good guys and gals.”

3. Start Doing Monthly Lunches

To provide for a relaxed environment for conversation and counsel, departments should provide for a monthly lunch date for the officer and the young person. 

Eating a good meal together without being rushed can create an environment where healthy discussions can take place allowing an officer to provide guidance and counsel to a young person in need. Paying for some cops and kids to enjoy a monthly lunch should not adversely affect a community’s budget.

4. Make Home Visits

With the agreement of the family, officers should be encouraged to periodically stop for a visit at a child’s home. These visits — which put them on the kid’s turf — demonstrate an officer’s commitment to the mentoring role and while there, he or she may recognize hazards within the home that the officer — again, with the support of the family — may be able to help mitigate, control, or eradicate. 

5. Be Available

After trust is established, an officer can make him or herself available for messages or phone calls from the young person who may be in a crisis or need of help. Being able to reach out to someone you can count on when feeling pressure or problems can be invaluable for a young person who is struggling with a situation. These contacts can go a long way in developing the trust and confidence necessary to make this mentoring relationship work well.

Conclusion 

A well-established and trusted mentoring program through a police department can go a long way in enhancing confidence with our customers particularly some of our most in need ones along with their families. When done right, it may see many of these mentored young people grow up to become police officers themselves and return the favor to others.

About the author

Lt. Tom Wetzel is a 27-year veteran police officer of a northeast Ohio suburban police department. He is a certified law enforcement executive, graduate of Police Executive Leadership College, ILEETA member, department training coordinator, OC instructor, TASER instructor, DT instructor, and trainer in traffic stops. Wetzel has had oversight of department community policing efforts, led his department SWAT team prior to serving with a regionalization team. An instructor for Northcoast Polytechnic Institute, Wetzel is an internationally published author for numerous police trade publications and a black belt in Goshin Jujitsu. Wetzel co-developed a school/community policing children's Internet and stranger danger safety program called e-Copp, an educational Children's online protection program. 

https://www.policeone.com/police-jobs-and-careers/articles/8423462-Cops-and-kids-5-steps-to-create-a-mentoring-program/

Ret. 7-5-16

Mentor Benefits Study

From Dr. Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston

By Stella Kanchewa October 21, 2015

Read More →

Study highlights the benefits of serving as a mentor

Ghosh, R. & Reio, T.G. (2013). Career benefits associated with mentoring for mentors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 106-116.

Background: Participation in workplace mentoring relationships is associated with a wealth of benefits for mentees. To date, however, few studies have considered potential benefits that mentors might derive from these relationships. Across the few studies that have explored mentor outcomes, there remains limited cohesive understanding of the ways in which mentors benefit from mentoring. In the current study, researchers sought to explore and synthesize studies investigating the benefits of mentoring for mentors within workplace mentoring relationships. 

Method: Through use of meta-analytic design (see Chronicle post by Dr. Adar Ben-Eliyahu), researchers focused on studies that explored positive outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction and performance, organizational commitment, and turnover intent) related to mentors’ provision of psychosocial and career support, and role modeling to their mentees

• Psychosocial support functions: include‘ “aspects of a relationship that enhance an individual’s sense of competence, identity, and effectiveness in a professional role…include acceptance and confirmation, counseling, friendship, and role modeling (p.107).” ’
• Career support functions: include “providing sponsorship, coaching, exposure and visibility, protection and challenging work assignments (p.107).”
• Role modeling functions: include mentors’ behavior, attitudes, values and professional identity, which may be emulated by the protégé

Results: Compared to colleagues who did not mentor, individuals who served as mentors within their workplace reported greater job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. In addition, higher quality relationships were associated with even greater benefits.

While all three types of mentor support (psychosocial, career and role modeling) were related to positive mentor benefits, distinctions also emerged. Mentors who engaged in career support perceived that they had greater career success, mentors who engaged in psychosocial support reported being more committed to their workplace, and mentors who engaged in role modeling support reported better job performance.

Implications:

In this meta-analysis, being a mentor was associated with several positive outcomes including greater perceived career success, job performance and satisfaction, as well as more perceived connectedness to one’s organization. While a causal relationship cannot be concluded from the study’s results (i.e., being a mentor leads to these benefits), the findings from this study underscore the need to consider the mentor’s perspective, particularly consideration of the ways the mentoring relationship, a largely collaborative endeavor, influences both the mentee and mentor.

The findings from this study have implications for youth mentoring, specifically the need for both researchers and practitioners to consider potential mentor outcomes in more direct ways. For example, a systematic analysis of mentor benefits within youth mentoring could present a comprehensive picture of current findings as well as potential gaps that could be addressed in future research.

In addition, evaluations should examine the potential benefits to mentors, include the capacity of relationships to enhance a mentor’s attachment to a particular community. Highlighting potential benefits may serve as an incentive for individuals who might be in a pre-contemplative stage. The researchers note, “awareness of mentoring benefits may motivate mentors beyond the pro-social nature of their personality.”

http://chronicle.umbmentoring.org/new-study-highlights-the-benefits-of-serving-as-a-mentor/

Ret. 7-5-16