OreMi Mentoring Program

OreMi (Yoruba): "my friend, mentor, and someone in whom I can confide"

Purpose

The OreMi Mentoring Program matches volunteer mentors from the community with children of incarcerated parents. Mentors help their mentees build on their strengths and realize their own potential, increasing self esteem and a child’s chances of success in life.

Who We Serve

OreMi mentees are children of incarcerated parents between the ages of 4 and 18, who live in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. While all children in our program have been impacted by incarceration, the needs of each child are different. Mentees need a positive, consistent, and reliable adult role model. They may also need help with homework, a chance to get out of the house, new opportunities and experiences, assistance in developing social skills, or just someone who can listen.

OreMi mentors are volunteers from the community, of any generation, ethnicity, or profession. The success of the OreMi Mentoring Program is a result of the dedicated volunteers who give time each week to help a child in need. Mentors must be at least 18 years of age, attend a 5-hour mentor training, and pass a criminal background check. Mentors also commit to meeting with their mentee at least one hour per week for one year.

Our Philosophy

We are a transformative mentoring program that focuses on seeing children as the people they are capable of becoming. Transformative mentoring is about helping a young person address her/his own negative attitudes, feelings and behaviors, and affect change within her or himself. As a mentor, this means avoiding stereotypical labels, recognizing that every young person has innate greatness and unlimited potential, and helping the youth develop his/her own potential.

Accomplishments

Children who receive mentoring services...

are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
are 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
are 36% more trusting of their parent or guardian
are 52% less likely to skip school earn higher grades and are more confident in their schoolwork
are 86% more likely to go to college
have 4 times fewer teen pregnancies
have 4 times fewer arrests
develop greater self-esteem and self-reliance

(Source: Public/Private Ventures)

A trusting relationship with a caring adult provides stability and often has a profound life-changing effect on both the mentee and the mentor.

To view a calendar of OreMi events, please click here.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor or know a young person who would benefit from a mentor relationship, please click on the links below.

If you have comments or questions about the OreMi Mentor program, you can submit them here. For more information about the OreMi Program Coordinator, contact Hannah Danto at (510) 834-2443 ext 3009.