By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
A new mentoring program will be starting up soon at the St. Joseph School District.
School board president David Foster is starting I.D.E.A. Mentoring. Idea, in this case, stands for Inspiring Dreams and Encouraging Achievements.
This program is starting at Truman Middle School on September 22. A Truman alum himself, Foster has a fairly extensive background when it comes to mentoring.
"I've been talking about mentors for years," Foster said on KFEQ's The Hotline. "I'm also a board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters (of Greater St. Joseph). Right now, we've established a mentoring program and came up with the name I.D.E.A. Mentoring."
Foster says he believes mentoring is a key aspect of any child's early education.
"Just as much as kids need math and science, they need mentors and people to look up to," he said. "It's not just what you learn, but also how you apply it. Without a good mentor or adult figure in your life, sometimes you may know the what, but you may not know the why."
The volunteer-based program will start with eight kids and mentors, with mentors working with kids about twice a month. The program will include various games and activities, along with a series of what Foster calls icebreaker questions - a series of informal questions that can hopefully establish a connection.
"From there, the first step is to try and establish a connection," Foster explained. "After you do that, there may be some issues the student might want to talk about that maybe they weren't able to talk about with anybody at school. I think it's important each student feel as if they have adults in the building who care for them."
Foster adds the benefits for kids in the district who are mentored go beyond just better grades in school.
"I think it boils down to inspiring our students and kids in the community to want to be the best at something," Foster said. "If we do that, I think that will convert into students wanting to get better grades and better attendance."
Those interested in volunteering will need to fill out an application as well as a background check for one-on-one mentoring.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the program can contact Foster directly, or call the St. Joseph School District's front office.
I.D.E.A. will be small in numbers to start, but Foster hopes its impact will be far reaching.
"Quality (over quantity) is the approach at this point," Foster said. "The more people we can affect, and once people see the change and once the mentors start to really get connected and outcomes start to produce, I think this will grow naturally."
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