ASPIRE
Become a Mentor

 

 

ASPIRE
(Adult-Student Program to Inspire, Relate, and Enrich)

MENTORING BUILDS a FOUNDATION
to GROW on….

ASPIRE TO BE A MENTOR

The ASPIRE program is a mentoring program that matches youth ages 8 - 15 with a caring adult mentor from the community.  The goal of the ASPIRE program is to bring adults and youth together in a lasting mentoring relationship.

Getting Started

Our first priority is the well being and safety of the child and volunteer, so the matching process reflects that concern.  Application forms are filled out by both the student and ASPIRE adult to provide necessary information, as we strive to make a lasting match.  Forms are available at the YMCA.

All ASPIRE adult applications are processed through a Washington State Patrol Background Check in compliance with the guidelines for all YMCA volunteers and employees.  There is a mandatory training necessary before being matched with a student.

Requirements

  • Mentors and students meet  a minimum of 3 to 4 hours per month.
  • Mentoring is about dedication, so a yearlong commitment is required.
  • Mentors will met with their student to share hobbies, recreational activities, and perhaps a glimpse of the mentor’s work environment.
  • Goal setting, life skill development, and guidance should be at the heart of each mentoring relationship.
  • The goal of ASPIRE is to bring adults and students together in a community partnership which can create a lasting beneficial effect on the lives of young people.

Support

  • All ASPIRE mentors get a free YMCA membership and are encouraged to bring student as often as possible. Other activities are provided such as movie passes, roller skating, and cultural events.
  • Each month a newsletter is sent out with fun activities and other useful information.

Mentors Make a Difference!

52% less likely
to skip a day of school

37% less likely
to skip a class

46% less likely
to start using drugs

27% less likely
 to start drinking

33% less likely
to engage in school violence

(Statistics from “Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers – Big Sisters, Public/Private Ventures)

Download ASPIRE Mentor Application ———

 Application

Download ASPIREStudent Application ———

 Application

 

Inspiring Story
The Chain That Can Never Be Broken:
Bryan and Matthew’s Story

Bryan and Matthew met a year ago and what a year it has been!  Two goats, house painting, driving a tractor, dinner at Black Angus, a horseback ride in the Cascades, and a few baseball games later, Bryan and Matthew are well on their way to living out that famous line of Bogart’s, “I think this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Indeed, when I asked Matthew to describe his relationship with Bryan, his brown eyes sparkled through his red lashes as he explained, “It’s like the chain that can never be broken.”  Bryan helped clarify that they both expected this mentoring relationship to last through the years.   I understood better why Bryan wanted to make such a commitment in Matthew’s life as he explained that he saw mentoring as a means to make both lives better; they each share and enrich the life of the other.  It was easy to see how Matthew looked up to Bryan, but it was clear that Bryan also admitted the youthfulness, imagination, and naïve wonder overflowing from eight-year-old Matthew.

Bryan explained that it was a New Year’s resolution that first got him interested in the ASPIRE mentoring program.  That resolution has not lost its vigor as he is still happy to be involved, and his enthusiasm has inspired his daughter and her husband to also become mentors.

 

ASPIRE is supported by these local Organizations:
Rotary Club of Yakima
United Way of Yakima County