What does mentoring look like? That’s up to you and the family. In less complicated times, we like our mentors to take a more hands-on approach to help mentees integrate into the community- such as including them in family outings & introducing them to the area. Currently, mentoring can be done while social distancing and some support can be provided remotely. Checking in regularly, sending along translated info regarding COVID-19, helping mentees locate resources- these are all things that can be done while maintaining safe distance. We still ask that anyone applying to mentor through WTS live local to the Portland area, so that you can begin an in-person relationship with your mentees once you feel safe doing so.
Through Welcoming the Stranger, mentors have access to a large network of individuals and groups already engaged with the immigrant community who can offer support and guidance if specific needs — housing, schooling, medical care, etc. — arise. As a mentor, your primary task is simply to be there for newly arrived folks who would otherwise feel alone in a strange world. You don’t have to be an expert, just a friend.
Specifically, Welcoming the Stranger is actively looking for a volunteer to enter into a mentoring “friendship” with an asylum-seeking family in Portland. This mother & her infant daughter are from Angola. She is hoping to be matched with a mentee who can help her navigate the immigration process and find community resources for her and her daughter. She speaks French and very little English.
Interested in making a difference? We have a list of families waiting for mentors! Go to https://wtsmaine.com/mentors/#
