Girls Inc. mentor program looking for help

LYNN – Girls Incorporated is once again looking for volunteers to join their successful Career Paths mentoring program, which helps high school students from Lynn with the college application and preparation process.The year-round program helps students with academics, life skills and career skills throughout the school year, culminating in the case of seniors with the college application process.Volunteers from throughout the community stepped up at this time last year to help re-hash the college mentoring aspect of the program, providing help with essay writing, college interviews and even looking for financial aid.Along with college choices, the mentors discuss career options and opportunities and help students down the right path to success.The mentors meet with students each Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 24 and running through the end of the school year in June. The program’s new director Elizabeth Redley said Girls Inc. is looking for volunteers from a variety of different industries so that students are given the opportunity to learn about multiple career paths.”This year I think we are looking to recruit a more diverse group of volunteers,” Redley said. “By diverse I don’t mean just ethnically, more career wise. We are looking for mentors from all walks of life.”Last year’s mentoring group included a former teacher, Marblehead resident Margaret Bowen, and Lynn Lumber Vice President Richard Kessell.While they volunteered for different reasons, each was able to bring a different level of expertise to the table. Bowen’s history as an educator and her love for travel allowed her to bond with some of the international students in the program, while Kessell applied the knowledge and resources that he accumulated while helping his own kids attend college to the Girls Inc. program.Any mature adult is encouraged to volunteer, and experience working with teens is always a plus. Volunteers should be dedicated to the success of the students they are helping, should be dependable and willing to show up every week for the mentoring sessions, have patience and flexibility, good troubleshooting and communication skills and be willing to work along with the Girls Inc. staff to help each student.Volunteers should also understand and be willing to carry out the Girls Inc. mission, to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold by meeting the needs of girls in the community, developing a girl’s capacity to overcome the effects of discrimination and be self-sufficient responsible members of the community.Mentors will be required to attend a two-hour training session and are required to take an exit interview after the program. Some of the students from last year’s program kept in contact with their mentors after the program concluded and received help on scholarship applications.”I would definitely say to anyone thinking about getting involved, it is worth it,” Bowen said at last year’s final program reception. “The support of Girls Inc. is so tremendous in the lives of these girls and they do such a great job of boosting morale. We freely talk about any school and any career possible. Nothing is out of reach.”Anyone interested in volunteering for the Career Paths program can call Redley at 781-592-9744 x 212.