October Match of the Month--2020
Doug Ketelsen has been matched with his mentee since TeamMates was started in Osmond six years ago. They meet once a week, usually for about 30 minutes on Monday mornings, in the TeamMates room at school. From there, his mentee decides what he wants to do during their time together. Most days he is very predictable and they spend their time together playing cards or a board game (chess, checkers, etc.) that is provided in the TeamMates room. During their time together, they talk about how school is going, if there are tests or school activities during the week, and anything going on in the mentee's life.
According to Doug, mentoring is a wonderful opportunity to get to know a young person on a deeper level and develop a meaningful relationship that might not otherwise exist. Doug’s mentee is a sophomore at OHS. Doug enjoys spending time each week with his mentee. He has learned that young people are open-minded and are interested in what others have to say. They care about their friends and look out for one another. He has found that young adults are willing to learn new things in school, and that they are willing to interact with others outside the school setting.
Doug says, “Our local TeamMates program needs more mentors. Mentoring requires a small amount of your time. The reward for that time spent is that you get to know a unique individual who has tremendous potential and you get to watch that person grow physically, intellectually and emotionally. I find that a mentoring schedule is easier when you have a consistent day and time each week to meet. Mentees learn responsibility by making sure they make it to the meetings. Mentees know someone cares about spending time with them and that the mentor cares about them.”
Mentors meet one time per week at the school to make a difference in the lives of our youth. Mentors will develop a relationship with the mentee in the many ways that Doug mentioned.
Community members interested in helping with the Teammates program can do so by mentoring, serving on the board of directors or donating to the scholarship fund. Please go to this link to apply to be a mentor today: https://teammates.org/become-a-mentor/