Employee Mentor Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The Stanislaus County Employee Mentor Program is a partnership to mentor, teach, inspire and act as role models for at-risk youth in our community. The Employee Mentor Program positively impacts the lives of young people by engaging County employees, partner agencies and local organizations who desire to give back to their community. Mentors give of their lunch hour time to engage with a struggling child. Beginning in 2010 (the focus for our NACO submission) the model was reformatted to adhere to a team-based approach, consisting of up to 3 individuals who adopt a student for a school year. Teams rotate meeting times with a commitment to our student protégés of at least two (2) connections per week. Also in 2010, the program was expanded to include multiple community partner agencies further improving our performance outcomes and increasing the positive impacts of the program. All interactions occur on school campus (there are six sites) to foster a caring, learning environment. The program, now in its 17th consecutive year, has become a regional benchmark and is recognized as a powerful corporate citizenship model.