Staff Share Best Practices at KnowHow2GO Conferences

The College Mentors staff, under the guidance of Amanda Koushyar, vice president of programs, recently completed a series of presentations in several Indiana communities on how to utilize volunteers in college access programming.  The presentations were part of a KnowHow2GO conference series, and provided participants with information on how to recruit, retain, screen, and train volunteers.  Participants included those nonprofits and schools interested in college access programs for the age group targeted by KnowHow2GO.

KnowHow2GO is a campaign, started in 2007 by the American Council on Education, Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Ad Council, designed to encourage 8th through 10th graders to begin preparing for college with four steps:

• Be a pain: Find an adult who can help you with the steps to college
• Push Yourself: Sign up for the classes that colleges require
• Find the right fit: Explore colleges with programs that suit your interests.
• Put your hands on some cash: Apply for all available funding

In much the same way College Mentors recognizes the need for underprivileged youth to have a college student mentor to expose them to higher education, KnowHow2GO stresses the importance of finding an adult mentor for middle and high school students.  Searching for and applying to a college that is a good fit can be a daunting task for any student, especially for those that come from low-income households where higher education may not seem like a viable option.  Having an adult available who is willing and capable of helping with these processes can transform their options.

Throughout its thirteen year history, College Mentors has garnered a wealth of experience in using volunteer college students as mentors for underprivileged youth.  Annual mentor training seminars train the college students in how to be effective and successful mentors.  College Mentors also provides the students with structured activity plans and support from College Mentors staff, giving the students the freedom of running a program while supplying them with the structure needed to ensure the program is successful.

The first presentation, given in June at IUPUI, received such positive feedback from the conference sponsors and participants that College Mentors staff were asked to give five additional presentations throughout Indiana- at Indiana University East in Richmond, the Evansville Career Center, Indiana University- South Bend, Indiana State University, and again at IUPUI.

These presentations were not only a great opportunity for College Mentors to gain public exposure and showcase the organization’s best practices it has learned about using volunteers, but they are also a testament to the expertise of College Mentors staff.