Sibanye Mentorship Program

The Sibanye Mentor Program is a non-profit; community based mentoring and tutoring program founded in 1988. The name Sibanye is a Kiswahli word that means we are one; terminology, which supports the philosophy that, it takes a whole village/community to raise a child. The program targets and focuses on Elementary school students, ages 7-14, from the Metropolitan Washington, DC area. The program recruits adults and high school students as volunteers to serve as strong role models to mentor and tutor our students. The program goal of the Sibanye Mentor Program is to support the family and the educational process by bolstering the fundamental skills of reading and math in students. The program engages in social and cultural activities geared towards enhancing values, building and improving self-esteem, communication skills (such as conflict management), and exploring options and alternatives for growth and successful living. As a fundamental part of this process, the program matches students to adult volunteers to build a strong support network on a one to one basis insuring that each student's individual needs are met. Individual student needs are addressed in both educational and social as they relate to the students' ability to deal effectively in the school and community environment. Mentors are encouraged to routinely monitor a student's progress throughout the school year. The program also sponsors a week long Kids Kamp activity at the end of the school year at Camp Dawson, West Virginia. The program fulfills the need for positive male and female role models for students.