Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CIS-SA) and Big Brother Big Sister of South Texas (BBBS), two local agencies with a wealth of experience in quality mentor/mentee relationships, oversee MM matches. CIS-SA offers school-based mentoring during the school year while BBBS offers both school-based mentoring during the academic year and community mentoring during the summer months. Both agencies have a waiting list of students from seventh grade to high school who need a caring adult in their lives. They provide an orientation and a case manager or a match support specialist that oversees the match during the year. CIS-SA meets twice a month with students while BBBS checks in with both mentee and mentor at least once a month.
In addition, the San Antonio Mentoring Forum provides ongoing training for individuals and organizations, as well as a monthly forum to share best practices.
Communities In Schools-SA (CIS-SA) provides invaluable services that result in a positive and seamless mentoring experience for school based mentors. A CIS-SA case manager at each high school selects the at-risk students that could benefit from a relationship with a caring adult. Students are paired with mentors based on the student’s career interest or another interest that the student and the mentor share. CIS-SA then does mentor background checks, trains the mentors and also facilitates a feedback session halfway through the year. Throughout the year, CIS-SA provides services and referrals, helping students tackle many serious obstacles such as homelessness, pregnancy, incarcerated parents, gang activity, drug use and poverty. CIS-SA Web site.
Big Brother Big Sister of South Texas (BBBS) has been creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships for over 100 years and has been proven highly effective. BBBS works closely with local schools to identify students for matching. Volunteers are matched with students on preferences identified during the mentor screening process. A Match Support Specialist introduces the mentors and mentees and facilitates the group workplace mentoring meetings in coordination with the business liaison. The Match Support Specialist also provides support to the mentor, mentee and the mentee’s family as needed. BBBS also conducts background checks and provides on-going training for mentors on how to develop and strengthen their relationship with a young person. The option to transition to a community mentoring program is also available during the summer. BBBS Website
