Wednesday, January 11, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
21
Heart of Oregon mentors find satisfaction in giving back
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
An educator for 45 years,
Greg Pozovich feels right
at home mentoring teens
who are part of the Heart of
Oregon YouthBuild program.
Over the past two years, he
has done one-on-one mentor-
ing with four boys, as well as
group mentoring.
After serving as a mentor
for eight years in the ASPIRE
program at the high school,
Pozovich was looking for a
new challenge in a different
environment.
“I had a rough grow-
ing up in Chicago. If not for
the help I received, I prob-
ably wouldn’t be where I am
today. Mentoring is my way
of giving back,” Pozovich
shared.
I had a rough growing
up in Chicago. If not for
the help I received,
I probably wouldn’t
be where I am today.
— Greg Pozovich
His interactions with his
mentees involve many differ-
ent activities. For one young
man, who wants to be an
architect, Pozovich arranged
an opportunity for him to
shadow an architect to see
first-hand what is involved.
Pozovich also helps out
during class time and accom-
panies the students during
their lunchtime walks. He has
driven a boy to Redmond to
take his GED test. He says he
does a lot of listening when
students need to talk.
“I have the ability to lis-
ten without judging or giving
advice,” Pozovich said.
He estimates he spends
five to 10 hours a week in
the program, although men-
tors are only required to meet
at least four hours a month
minimum with their mentee.
They can also sign up for an
AmeriCorps mentoring which
is 26 hours a month, which
works out to one day a week.
“Our program is a group
mentoring model for the first
three months,” explained
Amanda Jamison, leader-
ship coordinator for the pro-
gram. “Mentors interact with
students at our Cloverdale
school. Once they are
matched after the first three
months, they can meet out-
side of program.”
Not all students get a
one-on-one mentor, but all
students benefit from group
mentoring.
Pozovich is still in touch
with one of his YouthBuild
graduates.
“We have coffee about
once a month and I am there
for him both by phone and in
person,” he said.
Pozovich said that for stu-
dents considered at-risk, the
YouthBuild program is “one
of the best programs I’ve
seen.”
Students are spread out in
different locations depending
on what phase of the program
they are in. They start out at
the Cloverdale School. Some
are in the annex in Redmond
learning construction, and
some are on a building site
constructing homes.
Some of the students
will be working on the new
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Habitat for Humanity homes
in Village Meadows in
Sisters. They help out every
year putting up the tents and
moving easels for the Country
Fair at the Episcopal Church
of the Transfiguration, and
erecting the main tent for the
Sisters Folk Festival.
Pozovich would recom-
mend being a mentor with
Heart of Oregon Corps “if a
person understands going in
that these kids are different.”
He enjoys his mentoring.
“I make a difference in
their lives.”
Jamison pointed out
that mentors receive exten-
sive training when work-
ing with their population of
young people. They receive
about four hours of train-
ing on boundaries, trauma,
YouthBuild programming,
mandatory reporting, and
screening.
“We have monthly check-
ins with mentors at our men-
tor coffee clatter. At this time,
we discuss what’s going well
and what could be improved.
We also do more trainings, if
needed, at our monthly meet-
ings,” Jamison added.
Mentors help out with
service projects in the com-
munity, tutoring in the class-
room, goal-setting with stu-
dents, and participating on
the construction jobsite if
they want to.
“Our mentors become an
integral component in the
success of our youth, as well
as ongoing support beyond
the program in order to ensure
their continued educational,
personal, and professional
success,” Jamison said.
Signe Johnson, a retired
training and organizational
development manager with
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Signe Johnson is a mentor with Heart of Oregon.
the State of Oregon, was
drawn to the Heart of Oregon
program because it has an
excellent success rate.
“I wanted to make a vol-
unteer contribution that
would directly impact peo-
ple’s lives,” she explained.
I get a tremendous
sense of fulfillment
from seeing the students
grow and progress.
— Signe Johnson
Johnson brings patience,
understanding, and a passion
to change lives to her group
and individual mentoring.
“I am relationship-based,
which allows me to men-
tor at a personal level with
the students. I have strong
skills in the areas of inter-
personal communication,
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role modeling, and teaching
by example,” she said when
asked what she brings to
being a mentor.
Johnson spends at least
one day a week at the school,
guiding, coaching, and tutor-
ing students. She helps them
with GED prep, writing and
composition, and things like
studying for their driver’s
license test.
“I get a tremendous sense
of fulfillment from seeing the
students grow and progress. I
love being part of the Heart
of Oregon Corps YouthBuild
program. It is very much like
a family.”
Johnson concluded by
saying, “The most important
thing that I have learned from
working with the students is
that patience and persistence
really pays off.”
For more information
about being a mentor with
Heart of Oregon Corps, con-
tact Amanda Jamison at
541-526-1380 or amanda.
jamison@heartoforegon.org.
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