Pathways Adult Learning Center Seeking Volunteers For Mentorship Program

Pathways Adult Learning Center is looking for volunteers for its mentorship program. Pathways, a non-profit that that works with adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, has a one on one mentorship program where the students can work with a volunteer on things like math skills, reading skills and life goal skills.

Pathways currently serves 95 people but only has 38 volunteers signed up for the mentorship program. That leaves 57 people who do not get one-on-one time with a mentor.

Pathways Executive Director, Monique Scraper, said that enrollment at Pathways continues to grow, which increases the need for more volunteers, because even though students at Pathways will learn those math, reading and life skills goals in the classroom, it's the one on one time with a mentor that can have an even greater impact.

"Our students that are matched with mentors tend to experience more growth in these areas than students who are not yet matched which makes a lot of sense because it’s one on one attention that they are less likely to get in the classroom environment," Scraper said.

Scraper said that the impact on students is tremendous, but volunteers have come away from this experience seeing personal growth as well.

"I’m told that recently from a mentor that it felt like he was the one being mentored rather than mentoring the student himself because of what you learn from their outlook on life. They’re just incredible human beings," Scraper said.

Volunteer mentors can work with these students in person or virtually, and those who volunteer don't need any special skills or education background to make an impacts. Pathways provides any training needed to help. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can visit pathwaysok.org/volunteer for more information on the mentorship program or to start an application to become a volunteer.