Become a Mentor!

Make a difference in the life of a NYC high school student.

iMentor offers a meaningful, flexible, and fun way for professionals to mentor young people. Our mentoring model proves that anyone can mentor--even the busiest, most successful professionals have the time to be quality mentors. iMentor makes it possible for you to make a difference in the lives of New York City High school students.

Mentor Recruitment   |   The Relationship   |   Mentor Commitment   |   Become a Mentor

Mentor Recruitment

Thank you for your interest in becoming a mentor! We are excited that you're thinking about joining the 1,000 committed volunteers changing the face of youth mentoring in NYC. All of our students have been matched for this semester. You can still fill out an online application to become a mentor, and you will be invited to attend a mentor training as soon as possible so that we can add you to our waiting list. Spots do open up throughout the school year and we will be matching hundreds of mentors with mentees again in the fall of 2009.

In the meantime, once you have filled out an online application, you will be invited to join the iMentor Community Team. The iMentor Community Team is a great way to get involved while you wait to be matched with a mentee. On this team, you will be able to volunteer as a guest speaker on our career panels, assist at mentor-mentee events and serve as extra support for our mentees when needed.

Please contact Sandra Henry, Volunteer Coordinator, with any questions that you may have at (212) 461-4330, ext 55.

The Relationship: Change a Life

iMentor matches mentees and mentors based on shared personal and professional interests. Mentors and mentees develop relationships through (1) weekly email communication and (2) monthly face-to-face meetings at iMentor events.

• Email Communication Mentors and mentees email at least once a week. iMentor provides weekly writing prompts that help mentors & mentees develop their relationship over email.

• Face-to-Face Meetings Mentors and mentees meet in-person at least once a month between October and June.

Mentor Commitment: A Flexible Way to Volunteer

Mentoring can be both fun and rewarding, but it is a serious responsibility. The following is expected of all mentors:

(1) Mentors must be able to commit between FOUR to SIX hours each month. This commitment includes:

• One weekly email message (approximately one hour for a thoughtful, well-crafted message)
• One monthly face-to-face meeting at iMentor-sponsored events (approximately two hours).
  • iMentor organizes a large number (and wide variety) of mentor-mentee events each year.
  • Events are almost always outside of working hours (6-8PM on weekdays & 1-3PM on Saturdays).

(2) iMentor volunteers must commit to the mentoring relationship for at least ONE year (October-June).

• Two, three and four year matches are also available.

(3) Mentors must drive the relationship with their enthusiasm. Even if your mentee is not enthusiastic at first, your consistency and encouragement will build trust and engagement.

Become a Mentor

Interested in becoming a mentor?

Learn about the screening and training process and start your online application.