TeamMates Mentoring Program

I am very proud to be part of the York TeamMates Mentoring Program. I've been matched up with my mentee, Dalton, for four years now. He just finished his 9th grade year at YHS. While it is often very difficult to find 45 minutes a week to meet with him, it is always very rewarding. We play cards, board games, or go to the computer lab for most of our sessions. It is never anything too fancy, just some time to be together to help each other out.

I enjoy the conversations that Dalton and I have about school, family, and life. It's been great to get to know his friends. He provides me with great perspective and I hope I provide him with a little stability in return. Quite often, my days and weeks are full of tension-filled meetings, disgruntled adults, etc. It is VERY nice to have some regularly scheduled "normal time" with Dalton each week. He doesn't care about school budgets, tax requests, school improvement data, or the politics of school leadership. He just wants to beat me in cards....it is VERY refreshing!

The TeamMates Program now has over 110 mentor/mentee matches throughout York. It is truly a program where I feel the adults benefit as much or more than the kids. Our young people are so wonderful. Their energy, enthusiasm, and optimism is very contagious.

I'd encourage anyone and everyone to consider becoming a TeamMate in the near future. It is definitely a rewarding experience!