With a full daily schedule, signing up to be a mentor is a big commitment and extra responsibility. Why do it? Local mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Club, and Girls Write Now share why the commitment is worth it.
Being a mentor is a big time commitment and an extra responsibility that may seem daunting when added on to an already full schedule. So why do it? “The most common thing I hear from our mentors is that they’re getting more out of it than the girls are,” says Maya Nussbaum, founder of Girls Write Now. “They get a chance to really make a noticeable, specific difference in their mentees’ lives, and that’s very gratifying.”
"Volunteering for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program of Rockland County has been a life-altering experience for me. I started the program seven years ago thinking that I was making a selfless contribution to give back to my community and to mentor a child in hopes of ‘making a difference.’ Looking back at my experience as a mentor throughout the years, I feel more selfish than selfless. Selfish because I have benefited, as much, if not more, from this program than my Little Brother has. I have learned how to be a positive role model, an advisor, an educator, a listener, and a problem-solver. I have taken on these and so many other important and crucial roles, which has helped to give a child feelings of comfort, stability, trust, and assurance in his life. Being a mentor…has drastically improved not only my Little Brothers life, but my own.”
“I can’t imagine her not being in my life. Every time I’m frustrated or tired, she’ll be in my car for 5 minutes and I’ll be hysterical laughing, because that’s just who she is. And I’ll think, ‘Now I know why I do this.’”
—Barbara Cohen, Long Island mom of one and Big Sister to Katie for the last six years
“I’ve been doing this for so long, I can’t imagine not doing it. Giving kids a place to come that’s safe and fun and different than the other environments they’re in—I didn’t have a place like this when I was growing up. It’s gratifying. And a lot of things I’ve learned working with these kids have helped me as a father. I’m more patient than ever. And I do feel like I’m making a difference. I always struggle with how to define what a mentor is, but it’s really a mesh of everything you do.”
“So much is surprising about being a mentor. You come in thinking ‘I’m going to be the one doing the teaching,’ but I’ve learned so much from Monica. I feel inspired by her. My own creativity has been encouraged by her. You don’t think going into it that it’s going to change you, but it does.”
—Elaine Stuart-Shah, a Brooklyn-based Girls Write Now volunteer who has been a mentor to 16-year-old Monica for two years
“There is nothing more rewarding than realizing that you have truly made a difference in a young person’s life. No feeling is like the companionship that you experience by spending time with someone who truly looks up to you.”
Also see:
The Mentor Effect: Helping At-Risk and Underprivileged Kids
