EASTON — Talbot Mentors has seen a decrease of over 34% in mentor volunteers since the pandemic. So, staff is coming up with creative solutions to assist as many children as possible.
This over 25-year-old organization has been providing students across Talbot County the opportunity to create connections, obtain academic support and develop skills for their future.
Kentavius Jones, executive director of Talbot Mentors, said prior to the pandemic mentor numbers were as high as 71 volunteers. But since the pandemic, volunteer numbers have consistently stayed between 50 to 60 mentors.
“One of the crucial parts of a relationship is actual interaction,” Jones said. “So COVID shut that down. … we just been trying to ramp up recruitment, but also being conscious about it. We want the right relationships, not just any relationship … It’s meaningful connections and meaningful relationships. So recruitment looks a little bit different than it used to.”
Jones said the organization has piloted a peer-to-peer program, pairing high schoolers with elementary school students.
Jones said there is an abundance of positive research about results seen through peer-to-peer programming. A similar program run by the Texas Education Foundation found that student mentoring resulted in a reduction in substance use, an increase in academic performance, a reduction of absences and truancy, a reduction of discipline referrals to the school office, and an increase in positive decision-making skills and risk resiliency.
But most importantly, Jones said, it has allowed for more mentor pairs to develop amid the dip in volunteer numbers.
An additional program that has assisted the organization is the Scholars program. This program exists through a collaborative effort with Building African American Minds and Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center and aims to help high school students achieve their academic goals through tutoring, assistance with college admissions, and help researching and applying for scholarships.
Jennifer Kott, a college success manager for the Scholars Program, said the program is aimed at first-generation students and students from marginalized communities, to whom they can provide greater access resources than may be available to them.
“My scope is to help these students with the arsenal of my colleagues and the people here in the Easton community,” Kott said. “To provide programming for the students anywhere from premier life skills … to creatively putting together a vision board right. Sort of providing hope for these students, and that hope is sort of groomed throughout the duration of their four years in high school.”
Jones and Kott are proud of the programs and services Talbot Mentors provides to students, but despite the creative solutions, they said the organization is still seeking traditional mentors.
Joan Evans, a mentor for Talbot Mentors, said she has been working with the organization for about six years and was paired with a then third grader from Easton. The experience allowed her to show her mentee and herself new skills and experiences such as a fishing competition, kayaking and boating, she said.
Her mentee is currently an “almost sophomore” and has become a part of her family and heart. Evans said she encourages anyone who is interested in being a mentor to take the leap and volunteer.
“Being a mentor does not take any particular skill,” Evans said. “It’s providing a child with your time and attention ... Talbot Mentors is a wonderful community resource for making the connection between those children who could use another positive role model in their life with those adults who can give their time, encouragement and support.”
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