FeedsMentoring program yields rewards
For 26-year-old Jennifer Benyo, the decision to volunteer as a mentor for the Westland Youth Assistance program was both simple and personal.
“It’s supposed to help at-risk kids—I can definitely relate to that,” she said. “I might have been called an at-risk kid myself at one point.”
Although her days as a troubled teen are long over, Benyo—a Garden City resident—said that the experience left her with a lasting appreciation for the difficulties children could face. So when she learned of the mentorship program from Laura Stanton, a Michigan Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA project and volunteer coordinator, the recent Schoolcraft graduate said that she didn’t think twice.
“It took me a long time to get myself back on track,” she said. “I didn’t really have anyone there for me. If I can help make it easier for someone else, the time will be worth it. It would be very satisfying to know that you have made a difference in someone’s life.”
A few weeks ago, Benyo became one of a handful of people accepted into the Westland Youth Assistance Program mentoring program. Each year, the office pairs more than 35 children and teens with an adult who can be both a friend and a steadying influence. The students involved in the program have either had contact with the police or the court system or were referred because of concerns that they are at-risk for problems in the future. According to program director Paul Motz, the mentor program was one of the original services provided when the Westland Youth Assistance program opened in 1992.
Benyo is one of several past and present Schoolcraft students who have recently decided to get involved in mentoring because of Stanton. Because she thought that the mentorship programs could give children a “little push in the right direction”, Stanton launched a major campaign to get more people involved.
The Schoolcraft volunteers aren’t the only new mentors who signed on to help, though. Christopher Johnson of Taylor, for instance, decided to become involved in the mentor program after a colleague at the University of Michigan Hospital made a simple comment about how the program could use more male mentors.
“I like kids and I want to help them,” he said. “ This is something I can do to lead them in the right direction.”According to Motz, the volunteers who form the lifeblood of the program come from all walks of life and from a wide variety of backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: a desire to make a difference in a child’s life.
“They help them by being a friend, a listening ear, a sounding board,” said Motz. “It’s someone to talk to.”
That willingness to offer guidance and attention is a highly sought after commodity.
“We’re always looking for more mentors,” said Motz. “We currently have half a dozen kids on the waitlist.”
Part of the reason for the waitlist is that program officials are extremely cautious about who they will take on as a mentor.
For the safety of the children, he said that would-be mentors must possess a safe driving record and go through an interview with program coordinators in addition passing the background check. Those approved are required to take a series of classes to assist them before they are matched with a student.
Individuals selected to act as mentors are asked to make a one-year commitment to the program and to meet with their student at least one hour per week.
“Really, when you think about it, it’s not that big of a time commitment,” said Benyo. “You make it work somehow.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the mentorship program should contact Westland Youth Assistance at (734) 467-7904.
