Mentor/Mentee Project

Our Mission:

  • Expand and strengthen the community of interest
  • Replenish leadership by recruiting, training, and mentoring younger parents and siblings.
  • Empower families by providing information about services for all age groups
  • Connect families with other families
  • Empower family advocates

We propose to support our mission and achieve common goals by starting a Mentor/Mentee Program.

Mentees can be people who have children living at home and those who have children living in residences as well as professionals from the field. Mentors should have a deeper understanding of the field and can share that knowledge with those are just learning how the system works.

Mentors and mentees can come from:

  • Service Provider Agencies
  • National/NY Sibling Leadership Networks
  • NYC DOE District 31 and District 75 schools
  • Pre-schools, elementary schools and high schools serving children with Developmentally Disabilities
  • NYS Partners in Policy graduates

We would like to identify family members to join our Network as mentors and mentees in order to bring a new and stronger voice to the Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Community.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MENTORS

  • Commit to the program for a minimum of a year.
  • Provide one on one mentoring to the mentee throughout the year
  • Accompany the mentee to interagency meetings, public forums, advocacy and lobbying events as well as Network informational sessions on specific issues as much as possible.
  • Provide an overview of the history of the field, the current issues, challenges and the role of government
  • Foster a relationship that is conducive to open interaction
  • Offer counsel, guidance and encouragement
  • Be conscious and respectful of cultural and generational differences between myself and my mentee

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MENTEE

  • Commit to the program for a minimum of a year.
  • Attend inter-agency meetings, public forums, advocacy and lobbying events as well as well as Network Informational sessions as much as possible
  • Learn from the mentors experience and knowledge
  • Be a good listener
  • Be open to feedback and suggestions
  • Initiate independent advocacy opportunities
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions
  • Be conscious and respectful of cultural and generational differences between myself and my mentor

 

 

4 thoughts on “Mentor/Mentee Project

  1. I am a Mother of a young child diagnosed with Autism/Intellectual Disability who has been eligible for OPWDD since 2016.

    I have not received any services. In short I think that this system is unbelievably and unacceptably bureaucratic. I also think that it is designed, whether purposefully or not, to keep low income and/or families who do not have permanent housing away from accessing services.

    I do not understand the purpose of the Medicaid waiver process if all enrollees are being forced to enroll in Medicaid anyway and the criteria for eligibility is solely clinical.

    I do not understand why services are constricted to counties or boroughs.

    I am seeking advice on how to proceed with OPWDD – I wonder whether OPWDD can offer meaningful services for me. I am curious to know whether my experience is common or uncommon.

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