Greetings from Chicago!
In this not-so-mini CHIP Digest you’ll find:
- Ideas for finding Mentees
- Introduction to the Chicago NDMVA – CHIP members
- Update from Chicago CHIP
- Link to Monthly Report (Due December 4th)
Last week there were some great ideas about finding mentors, thanks! Here in Chicago, we have found it challenging to find mentees as well. Here are some of the things Ursula and other sites recommend (Note: if you have more suggestions, keep them coming!).
-partnering sites (esp. elementary schools) - teachers, some counselors/social workers, parents/families
-referrals from people in prison (going into a prison) *attached are the ADI referral form and school referral form*
-fliers posted in the community
-foster care agencies
-talking about the program
Some things to try:
-visit partnering sites
-get each member on your team to give you a referral (either a child or the person at their site to talk to)
-go to a school counselor meeting/teacher in-service
-set up an information session at one of the prisons near you (talk to volunteer coordinator, chaplain, warden)
-get a Public Service Announcement on a local radio station
-talk to local radio hosts/columnists who discuss local social issues - see if you can get on the show or get a shout out in the paper
-collaborate with charities - soup kitchen, food pantry, clothing drives
Meet the Chicago NDMVA CHIP Members:
Stephanie Decker
Hello Everyone! This is my second year as an NDMV-AmeriCorps member, and my first year working with the CHIP program. I am really excited to be apart of such a great program, and I'm hoping to help it grow to its full potential!
I work at the Marillac Social Center in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood, working with the CHIP program and working with the art therapist. I am originally from Philadelphia, but I've been in Chicago now for almost 6 years and I received my degree here from Columbia College in Design and Art Education. My future goals include going to grad school to complete my Master's in Art Therapy and continuing to work in communities that are underserved.
Hannah Schlotterbeck
Hi! I have been living in the Chicago Area for just over five years now, graduating from Lake Forest College in the spring of 2008. In college I majored in theatre and psychology, and I will be applying to a Masters Program of Dramatherapy in San Francisco for this coming fall. In addition to AmeriCorps, I also babysit and teach dance and acting at a children's theatre.
I am in my second year as a Notre Dame AmeriCorps member, spending last year organizing information, networking, meeting the community, and researching how to put together the CHIP mentoring program. This fall, Stephanie joined me and we have been recruiting mentors and mentees and matching them up! I really believe that happiness is the birth-right of every human being, and I decided to join AmeriCorps to help bring happiness to those who have, for some reason, not been able to experience the joy they are entitled to. I have come to feel like the kids, co-workers and adults I work with are like a family, and will miss everyone greatly at the end of this term. I'm excited about the future of CHIP, and am grateful I was able to be a part of something that (fingers crossed) will really help bring visibility and change to a population of kids who are so often forgotten about.
We’ve had 4 matches and have 1 mentor waiting for a match. Last week we had an awareness and fund raising event and it was a great success! About 21 people attended, and we raised $200 to support our matches. Stephanie made CHIP bracelets, which were a big hit and encouraged people to donate in whatever amount they could afford. We had information about children of incarcerated parents and ways that people could get involved on each table and the intimate setting allowed us to talk to all the attendees individually. At the end we handed out handmade invitations with drawings from kids, inviting people to mentor. Overall, it was a great event and we’ve included a link to the pictures here [scroll to the bottom of the page to view pictures].
We can’t wait until January to have another mentoring event. We are hoping to highlight national mentoring month by partnering with other mentoring groups in the city to do a film screening. This Saturday we will have a mentor-mentee group event at the Open Books store grand opening. The next thing on our radar is the second mentor training on December 12. If you know any possible mentors in Chicago, let us know! ;)
The November Monthly report – DUE DECEMBER 4th!
p.s. - it has a few new questions about volunteers for quarterly data.
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