At a January 4 meeting, Snoqualmie Valley School District Superintendent Dan Schlotfeldt and the School Board acknowledged January as National Mentoring Month. They read this special proclamation that describes the positive impact a mentor relationship can have on students. This month our district will be highlighting different ways in which mentoring is helping Snoqualmie Valley students throughout our district. 

First up... Snoqualmie Valley schools are fortunate to receive crucial student support from community partners at Empower Youth Network (EYN), formerly known as the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network. They work closely with our school counselors to provide students at all SVSD schools with focused one-to-one mentoring through their Youth Success! Mentoring program. This program matches qualified adult volunteers with students who could benefit from extra support from a trusted adult.

Based on a consistent weekly meeting with the same individual, about one hour each week, mentor relationships are helping many students succeed and grow. This extra layer of focused support and positive guidance shows a child that they matter as an individual and that they are not alone in their day-to-day challenges. In fact, there are several mentorships in place that have continued year-after-year, when the match is working well for both parties.

If you’re an adult who has a desire to help a child, we encourage you to apply to become a youth mentor. The student-mentor meetings always take place at the student’s school during a school day with staff present. Mentor training and helpful activity ideas are also provided. Currently, there is a waiting list of students identified for mentors in our district, so your service is appreciated.

If you’re interested, please apply here: EYN’s Youth Mentoring webpage.  If you have questions, please email: BeAMentor@EmpowerYouthNetwork.org.