Professional Mentor (Friend)

Friends of the Children Montana•Missoula, MT

10d

About The Position

Friends of the Children is a nonprofit that is impacting generational change by empowering youth through relationships with professional mentors. We do this by providing children facing the most obstacles with a long-term, salaried, professional mentor, who we call a “Friend,” from kindergarten through high school graduation, 12+ years – no matter what. We are currently seeking an extraordinary professional to embark on a new career journey as a Friend at our Western Montana Chapter. At Friends of the Children, we put children first and use our values to change the way the world treats and views youth facing great barriers. These values align with the Indigenous extended kinship model and worldview that children are sacred. As a Friend you will nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally informed practices. Do you want to help rural and Indigenous youth discover their limitless potential, by fostering their internal resiliency? Are you ready to help build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities? If so, the impactful role of a Friend might be for you. We are currently seeking a professional mentor for to serve as a positive adult role model to eight children and develop loving, caring, and sustained relationships with each child. For each child, a Friend will set positive expectations; nurture and promote each child’s strength, talents, and abilities; help ensure physical and emotional well-being; teach life and academic skills; provide enrichment activities; and model responsible behavior. A Friend will fully document activities and participate in the ongoing evaluation process. Friends will work primarily one-on-one with their children, while also building trusting supportive relationships with parents/caregivers. A Friend must know, understand, honor, and support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and principles, and be able to clearly articulate the organization’s function.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to work with children in varied settings to help them learn and grow.
Ability to cultivate trusting relationships with children, parents, teachers, and community members.
Strong sense of confidentiality and professional communication.
Creativity and initiative in planning engaging activities.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and as part of a team.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
Ability to set and achieve goals for each child’s development.
Skilled in time management and administrative accuracy.
Comfortable with high mobility and frequent driving.
Strong written and verbal communication; basic computer proficiency (email, MS Outlook, database use).
Maintain a valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and vehicle insurance.
Maintain First Aid/CPR certification.
Transport children in a personal vehicle as needed for mentoring activities.
2- or 4-year degree required

Nice To Haves

A sense of humor is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and sustain long-term, caring, trusting, and accepting relationships with each child.
Spend time with children one-on-one and in classroom settings.
Develop, maintain, and follow a Roadmap or Transition Plan for each child.
Set realistic expectations and goals based on each child’s strengths, talents, and needs.
Teach life skills and healthy habits to support development and self-esteem.
Foster each child’s talents or interests to help build confidence.
Provide enrichment resources and activities that promote cultural awareness, diversity, and community service.
Support children in developing behavioral management skills, tolerance, respect, and compassion.
Build positive relationships with families, teachers, and others in the child’s life.
Reinforce academic skills and learning.
Model good problem-solving and decision-making.
Participate in Friends of the Children programming and make effective use of resources.
Manage expenses and time within organizational guidelines.
Complete all documentation (journals, plans, reports, evaluations) accurately and on time.
Attend and actively participate in team meetings and staff events.
Support the development team as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.