Eugene School District 4J

Can you give 30 minutes a week to make a difference in the life of a middle school student?

Be a mentor—touch a life! A small investment of time, energy and caring can yield great dividends in the life of a middle school student.

What is the Middle School Mentor Program?

Volunteers from the community are paired with middle school students who have been referred to the program. Once a week, volunteer mentors visit their student at school during lunchtime. They talk and listen, share a meal, play board games, share news about school and friends, maybe play basketball.

It’s a way to give extra support to a teen or tween who may be facing challenges—kids who are living in poverty, are homeless or in transitional housing, are having a hard time at home or at school, or just need another caring adult in their lives. Most schools have students on waiting lists.

What the mentoring program provides

Principals and counselors love the mentor program because it helps kids who need support. Especially in these days of tight budgets and crowded classrooms, mentoring helps fill students’ need for more one-on-one adult attention.

Mentors love the program because it gives them an opportunity to work one-on-one with a student throughout the school year and develop a relationship that supports the student.

Students love the program because they have a reliable, caring adult to talk to one-on-one. They look forward to their weekly lunches, are more likely to come to school on mentoring days, and get help with things like building strong relationships with peers.

How to become a volunteer mentor

Thank you for your interest in the mentor program. Please begin by completing an online background check here. Please select all 8 middle schools on your background check.

After you have completed your volunteer background check, please submit a Mentor Application here.

If you have any questions, please contact the volunteer program coordinator, Kate Becker, at middleschoolmentoring@4j.lane.edu. We look forward to mentoring with you.