WOT Procedures. A. Mentors are highly accomplished professional women who are invited into the WOT Program by referral only.

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1 WOT Procedures Mission Statement The Women of Tomorrow mission is to inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through a unique mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities. Our program is specifically designed to meet the needs of at-risk teenage girls in our nation s public high schools and help them turn obstacles into opportunities by providing the exposure, motivation, confidence and opportunities required to create a better future for themselves, their families, and society. 1. Unique & Specific Program Model: A. Mentors are highly accomplished professional women who are invited into the WOT Program by referral only. B. Mentees are public high school girls who are at risk of not living up to their full potential. The schools selects and recruits young women for participation in the program. WOT has a broad definition of at-risk which can be based upon challenges with income, abuse, disability, truancy, gang violence, drugs, criminal activity, teen pregnancy or academic, social, behavioral, medical or other risk factors. C. All participating schools are public high schools (no private/charter schools). WOT partners at the School District level and executes a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the School District. D. Mentoring sessions take place once a month during school hours, in the school setting, during one class period. These mentoring sessions may be extended by coordinating with the lunch period. E. There is only one WOT group per public high school. F. There may be up to 30 WOT mentees in any given mentoring group. WOT is a small group mentoring program. We do not provide one-on-one mentoring. G. Two (2) mentors are assigned to any school where the mentoring group has girls. While WOT aims to always assign two (2) mentors to each school regardless of group size, mentoring groups with 15 or fewer girls may only have one (1) assigned mentor. 5

2 H. Guest Speakers are invited to present at a specific session by the Mentor. Guest Speakers are professionals with specific areas of expertise such as Financial Planning, Nutrition, Teen Health, Cyber Safety, etc. I. The WOT Program Coordinator is based in the WOT offices and provides intensive ongoing support throughout the year to ensure successful program implementation. 2. WOT Mentors: A. Mentors are highly accomplished professional women, and are either actively engaged professionally or retired. B. Mentors must be referred in order to participate. C. Mentors must pass security clearance procedures that are specific to the school district. If necessary, Mentors must renew the security clearance annually based upon the school district requirements. D. Mentors will be given the opportunity to shadow existing mentors before they are able to mentor alone. E. All Mentors must abide by the volunteer policy specific to each School District. F. All Mentors must sign and abide by WOT Mentor Agreement and agree to the following: i. The must be sure that the WOT School Coordinator (or school personnel) is always present throughout the duration of the mentoring sessions, field trips and all other WOT activities. ii. Mentors may NOT transport Mentees in personal vehicles. iii. Mentors may NOT have any outside contact with Mentees. This includes contact by , Phone, and Social Media. iv. Mentors must keep Mentees information confidential, unless it is illegal or threatening to the Mentee or to others. v. Mentors must not discuss Mentees grades, abilities, personal history or other information with outside parties. This is personal and confidential information protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). vi. Mentors must report any issues or concerns to Women of Tomorrow immediately. vii. Mentors may not give medication, including over-the-counter products, to Mentees. viii. Mentors may not supervise a classroom or discipline student(s). These are the responsibilities of the teacher and school. 6

3 ix. Mentors should set a good example as a positive role model through appearance and behaviors. x. Mentors should be prompt when attending mentoring sessions and if necessary, reschedule in a timely fashion. xi. Mentors should follow school volunteer policies, including sign in and out procedures. G. Returning Mentors must renew their commitment to mentor annually. H. Every school should have two mentors. This allows for either mentor to visit other schools occasionally to bring professional diversity and exposure to the mentoring experience. I. Most Mentors choose to be an Assigned Mentor. An "Assigned" Mentor goes back to the same school each month, occasionally visit another school). Being an Assigned Mentor allows for development of an ongoing relationship with the girls and the ability to work with the girls on long-term goals and projects. However, some Mentors prefer to be a Floating Mentor where they have no specific school assignment and are scheduled to speak at several schools throughout the year. Being a Floating Mentor allows for exposure to more girls and schools and allows for the most flexibility in the mentoring schedule commitment. 3. WOT Guest Speakers: A. Guest Speakers are professionals with specific areas of expertise such as Financial Planning, Nutrition, Teen Health, Cyber Safety, etc. B. Guest Speakers submit a Guest Speaker Partnership Form to the WOT office and are vetted by the WOT Mentor or WOT Program Coordinator. C. Guest Speakers do not undergo the same procedures as a Mentor (WOT orientation, security clearance, shadowing an existing mentor, etc.). Guest Speakers visit a school upon invitation only for a specific session. 4. WOT Schools: A. WOT Executes an MOU at School District Level. B. WOT operates in public schools only (no private schools, no charter schools). C. All WOT activities take place under the auspices of the school district. At no time does WOT engage in activities with students outside the auspices of the school district. 7

4 D. The School Principal assigns a school-based personnel to serve as WOT School Coordinator to administer the program within the school setting. This is preferably someone who does not have classroom responsibilities in order to minimize scheduling conflicts. A back-up WOT School Coordinator should be assigned in case the main WOT School Coordinator is not available or present on the day of a WOT Mentoring Session. E. The WOT School Coordinators are required to go through the WOT orientation each year. F. The WOT School Coordinator (or school personnel) MUST always be present throughout the duration of the mentoring sessions, field trips and all other WOT activities. G. In the event of a report of abuse, neglect or other incident requiring reporting to authorities, follow-up or intervention, WOT requires that school-based WOT School Coordinators follow state and local school district reporting requirements. All such reports should be immediately communicated to the WOT Program Coordinator & Director so WOT can monitor and ensure follow-up. In non-emergency cases where a Mentee needs additional help such as pregnancy, homelessness, gender challenges, chronic medical conditions, etc., should also be communicated to the WOT Program Coordinator in the event that the WOT can provide additional resources. H. All WOT Field Trips must I. Be school-approved II. Have school personnel present III. Utilize school board approved transportation IV. Take place within the tri-county area of the school District V. Not be an over-night trip I. The WOT School Coordinator must ensure all School District policies are met and is responsible to: I. Act as a liaison for Women of Tomorrow Mentors; II. Recruit mentees into the program as well as the re-enrollment of returning mentees; III. Maintain and submit accurate Mentee Roster and attendance records; IV. Submit Mentee absence excuse forms to the WOT Program coordinator; V. Collect, maintain and distribute WOT information to Mentees; VI. Facilitate the scheduling of the mentoring sessions. 8

5 5. Mentoring Sessions: WOT Program Coordinator ascertains WOT Mentor s school assignment preference(s) and assigns each Mentor to an available school (for all Mentors choosing to be Assigned Mentors ). In most cases, each school has two Assigned Mentors who work as a team co-mentoring the group. A. WOT Program Coordinator establishes a schedule for mentoring sessions between the School Coordinator and the Mentors and sends a monthly reminder for the mentoring session. The sessions may be scheduled on the same day and time each month e.g., 9am on the first Tuesday of each month) or the times may vary throughout the year. Every effort is made to minimize any negative impact on the girls academic schedules and to appropriately accommodate the Mentor s schedule. A schedule should be set for the entire school year and if necessary specific sessions can be re-scheduled. B. WOT Program Coordinator provides introductions and assures that the Mentors and School Coordinators exchange contact information. C. If a Mentor cannot make a scheduled mentoring session, she must immediately notify the WOT Program Coordinator so the session can be rescheduled if necessary or alternative arrangements be made if necessary. If it is the day of the session and she does not reach the WOT Program Coordinator directly, she must notify the WOT School Coordinator so the students and school are aware she will not be coming for the scheduled session. D. WOT School Coordinators may use school communications (Morning Announcements, Passes, , posted calendar, or other method) to remind the girls of the sessions. E. Mentoring session topics are at the expressed discretion of the Mentors and Mentees. Suggested topics are included in the WOT Goals and Mentoring Session Topics form. This is only intended to be an outline. The mentoring session topics are determined by Mentors to best meet needs of their girls. F. During the first session of each year, Mentors cover the following: I. Introductions use name tags for the girls and mentors II. III. Provide Women of Tomorrow description for new Mentees like, "Women of Tomorrow is designed to help you live up to your full potential and show you all the opportunities that exist for you to be successful. Please do not use the term at-risk when in dialog with the girls. Review Mentee Pledge with the group 9

6 IV. Establish Ground Rules for Mentees while in the WOT sessions: a. Maintain confidentiality of information shared in the group (E.g. - "What is said in WOT stays in WOT") b. Refrain from judgmental comments c. Respect self and others in group d. Mandatory Mentoring session attendance is required e. Three Unexcused Absences are grounds for immediate discharge from WOT f. Must have no unexcused absences to be eligible for a scholarship g. Attendance at mentoring sessions is Mandatory. If a Mentee misses a mentoring session, she must submit a written excuse to the WOT School Coordinator. Excuses must be faxed or ed to the WOT Program CoordinatorA mentee must be enrolled in WOT for at least 3 years with no unexcused absences to be eligible for a scholarship V. WOT mentees and mentors maintain confidentiality of the group at all times. The only exception is in the case of emergency when outside assistance is required (i.e., threat to health or safety of others). i. It is responsibility of the School Coordinator assigned to WOT to notify appropriate authorities of any issues affecting security and safety of the Mentor and mentees. VI. Provide annual schedule of all WOT Mentoring sessions. G. The WOT Program Coordinator will make available the Annual Attendance Tracking Form for the Mentors and School Coordinators by . This form maintains the attendance record of the girls in the group throughout the year and is updated at each session. The Program Coordinator will also send out the Mentoring Session Reminders. H. School Coordinators take the mentoring session attendance using the Annual Attendance Tracking Form, and deliver it to the WOT Program Coordinator by . A Mentee may be either: I. Present or have either an: II. Excused Absence - Examples of Excused Absences include having a test and not being allowed to leave class, or an "Excused Sick Absence" from III. school. Unexcused Absence - The Mentee is absent with no reason given, did not feel like coming, forgot, etc. The School coordinator will verify absence excuses and notify WOT Program Coordinator. 10

7 I. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO OUTSIDE CONTACT between Mentors and Mentees outside of regularly scheduled WOT mentoring sessions (this includes , Facebook, Twitter, after school, etc.)please do not hand out business cards). Under NO circumstances should mentees go in a car with their Mentors. J. Mentees start in 9 th or 10 th grade and stay in WOT throughout high school, if Mentees moves or transfers to new school, every effort should be made to enroll mentee in WOT at the new school. K. Mentees must be in the program for at least 3 years in order to be eligible for WOT scholarships. L. Mentees must have no unexcused absences during their entire enrollment in WOT (3 or 4 years) to be eligible for WOT scholarships. M. WOT Graduates are encouraged to come back as WOT Junior Mentors where they are always paired with an experienced WOT Mentors. N. WOT Guest Speakers go through a rigorous selection process. Mentors should contact their WOT Program Coordinator to request a Guest Speaker as well as the list of Guest Speaking Topics. 6. Other Program Activities: A. Career-Focused Field Trips at least one trip is offered to every school annually. Mentors may plan field trips for their school. These trips should be planned as far in advance as possible and the Mentor must coordinate with the WOT Office and the School at least two weeks in advance of the trip. B. Specialized College Campus Visits several trips are offered each year. C. Annual Kick-Off social event, an opportunity for mentors, supporters and schools to connect and go over the program for the year. D. Annual Holiday Event this is an annual event where the schools identify the neediest mentees to receive gifts. E. Annual Graduation Event WOT holds an annual luncheon for graduation luncheon for graduating seniors where scholarships are given out. Only 12 th graders are invited to the event. F. Additional Mentor Initiated/WOT Approved Events These events can be those such as small store fundraisers and or events that enrich the lives of WOT 11

8 Mentees. Miscellaneous Activities Any additional event to benefit WOT or its Mentees. G. WOT Encourages Mentees to engage in some form of Community Service either as a fundraiser for WOT or other activity to enrich their community. Giving back to their communities should be discussed throughout the year during the mentoring sessions. 7. WOT Item Distribution: A. WOT provides shirts to the girls every year for new Mentees and every other year for all others. WOT Mentees are encouraged and expected to wear WOT shirts to mentoring sessions and career-fields and college visits when appropriate (when business attire is required). B. WOT distributes other donated items as they become available. 8. Mentee Application Materials Include: A. Mentee Pledge B. Mentee Authorizations and Releases C. Mentee Application (Submitted Online) D. Spring/End-of-Year Questionnaire (Submitted Online) 12