Human Services Council's Norwalk Mentor Program

The mission of the Norwalk Mentor Program is to encourage the social, academic, and mental growth of Norwalk's youth through a one-on-one mentoring relationship where a caring adult serves as a role-model to a student as he/she goes through a difficult period and/or faces new challenges.

Through a structured one-on-one relationship between a student and an adult volunteer who meet for one hour per week during the school year and engage in academic and/or social activities conducive to the school setting, the Norwalk Mentor Program can help to improve mentees self-esteem, self-confidence, communication skills and motivation; improve mentees ability to make positive choices; improve mentees attitudes towards their parents, peers and teachers; improve mentees academic performance and school attendance; and improve mentees perception of ones own abilities.

The Norwalk Mentor Program is the first school-based mentoring program in the country. It has been positively impacting the lives of Norwalk’s youth since 1986 and has set the standard for school-based mentoring throughout the country.

In addition to weekly mentoring session between mentors and mentees, the Norwalk Mentor Program hosts at least 2 events outside of school for mentors and mentees during the year. One is held in January to celebrate National Mentoring Month and the other is an end-of-year outing.

Volunteer mentors are needed to be matched with students in the Norwalk Public Schools.