WATSONVILLE — Professional mentors are being sought to help guide students at Diamond Technology Institute into the world of careers and the professional standards to get them there.
Coordinator Elyse Destout said she is hoping for at least six to 10 people to step up and volunteer to lend a hand to the students in a commitment that runs from September to May.
“This means being there for about 90 minutes each week,” Destout said.
“Every meeting is very carefully planned out,” she added. “We have worksheets that the mentors can use to work with the students; the worksheets are a guideline. Maybe one of the worksheets is about email etiquette, for example. What we want the mentor to do is to also bring in their personal experience and their professionalism and use the curriculum as a stepping-stone to a bigger lesson. I don’t want people to worry about not knowing what to teach these kids; we have it all laid out for them. People can come and follow the curriculum exactly to a T. And, of course they are welcome to bring their own experience and influence. The system is developed to be ‘plug and play’ if that is what they want. But there is plenty of flexibility.”
Through the program Diamond Tech students will be matched with a business mentor during their sophomore and junior years. The program provides opportunities for adults to make a visible difference in the lives of students — to share their interests and hard-won wisdom. Mentors typically are professionals who can listen, act as role models, provide career information, offer academic assistance and suggest direction.
“We’re hoping that professionals in our area can help youth of today learn some of the basics of getting a job,” Destout said, “like looking the boss in the eye and clearly explaining yourself and your goals and being able to use technology, like emails, in a professional manner and not sending selfies and text abbreviations like OMG (oh my god) or LOL (laughing out loud).”
Sessions are held at Diamond Technology Institute, 112 Diamond Drive in Watsonville. They are usually on Tuesday or Thursday and are supervised by Diamond Tech staff.
Sessions are typically one to two hours, commonly at 1-2:15 p.m.
For information, visit tinyurl.com/yd3qylha
If you are interested in helping out, call Destout at 840-5547.
