Sowing Seeds For The Future
By Christine Davis, TeamMates of Lincoln
Judi Yost has played many positions on the TeamMates team.
Facilitator. Recruiter. Cheerleader. History Keeper. Mentor.
Her dedication during 20+ years as an in-school TeamMates facilitator meant 300 middle school students were matched with volunteer mentors.
Most of them wanted to help fulfill the strengths-based TeamMates mission: To positively impact the world by inspiring students to reach their full potential through mentoring.
What makes a 55+ mentor so special? Experience, perspective, patience, and purpose.
“Many of them have already raised their own children,” Judi says. “They miss the regular contact with young people, even if they have grandchildren,” she chuckles. She has three “grand-angels” herself.
“When you plant that seed, you must be very patient and wait for it to germinate. It could be today, or years in the future.”
A 55+ mentor may be retired or hold a job with enough flexibility to spend an hour a week alongside a young person.
“Believe it or not, many are curious to go back to school,” Judi says. “It’s interesting to find out what school is like now.”
In a “class” photo drawn from her memorabilia, you can see a younger Barbara Bartels, recently retired from the Lincoln Community Foundation, and the two co-founders Nancy and Tom Osborne (Tom is still mentoring).
Now in her 60s, Judi is a mentor herself. “It makes me feel younger hanging out with them. They're moving 200 miles an hour and you are part of it.”
Experience and patience make good fertilizer for the next generation. “I’ve helped to plant a lot of seeds over the years,” says Judi.
She remembers one match that took time.
“The mentor came to me, saying, ‘I feel like we're not getting anywhere. She's hardly talking.’ It took time to build the relationship. Now, it’s hard to imagine them not being close friends.”
Other matches stand out too, like when Judi matched Gordon Dickerson, an animal geneticist at UNL. A mentor is not expected to be a tutor, but Gordon was inspired to act when he realized his mentee struggled to read.
“I came by one day while the match was meeting to let them know there was an activity they could join in on,” says Judi. “Gordon looked up and said, ‘You know, we would, but we’re just working on reading here.’ I knew that was going to be a special one.”
Years later, when his former mentor died, the mentee told Judi he wanted to speak at his funeral. He wanted those attending to know how Gordon’s unconditional care had changed his life.
“He wrote up what he wanted to say and when we walked into Eastridge Presbyterian, he saw the packed house, filled with people that Gordon had impacted. They were from all over the world. He asked if I would read his remarks, and of course, I agreed.”
She remembers when 64-year-old Doug Christensen was matched. “Doug even went to watch his mentee play basketball,” says Judi. “He’d be cheering for him and people would ask, ‘Who are you cheering for?’ He was proud to tell them, ‘My TeamMate!’”
Getting matched at a school should be a comfortable process and that starts with the facilitator.
“You read the full person,” Judi says. “Who are they? What are they hoping to gain? What questions do they bring? Did they have a mentor and how did it impact them? Knowing all this helps to make a strong match, to know they’ll be dedicated.”
Often mentors say they gain as much as their student, and that it is the best part of their week. Research shows it improves productivity and hope for the mentor who returns to work.
“A two-way street,” says Judi. “You're teaching them. They're teaching you. You may think you’re just playing a game, but it's much more.”
Sometimes temperament or personality is the glue that holds a match together. “I had a student who was very smart, but struggling in the classroom. I guess I’d say she was feisty—not misbehaving—but she would challenge her teachers. I had a waiting mentor who had a similar energy. What a beautiful match that was.”
Checking judgement at the door is important too, and something Judi considers a lifelong discipline. “I'm always working on accepting my mentees where they're at and moving forward from there.”
Some prospective mentors worry that they’ll get in over their head, working with a child that faces challenges that are outside of their experience. Judi’s daughter was nominated for a TeamMate when she struggled with shyness. Now, she’s a minister.
“She had good parents, a stable home, but she needed that extra person to help her realize her potential.”
It is also important that mentors not feel they are expected to figure everything out.
“There’s a whole team supporting them,” Judi says. “The mentor’s role is to be present, be a good listener, and not have all the answers.”
