Parent FAQ

YMI stands for Youth Mentoring Initiative. YMI is a non-profit organization that partners with HSE schools to provide volunteer (non paid) mentors for students.

Because our mentorships occur on school grounds during the school day, all of our mentorships must be set up through the onsite school coordinators. If you want your child to benefit from a YMI mentorship, please contact the YMI coordinator at your child’s school.

YMI’s philosophy regarding mentoring is that any child benefits from having another caring adult in their life. We also believe that a student is one more step closer to becoming successful if they have a mentor. At times though a student may show signs of struggle in the classroom where just having a tutor is not enough. Sometimes life can get hard and even overwhelming. Having a mentor at this stage in life can be very beneficial. It provides your child another adult who will listen to them and provide support for them. We encourage you to talk to your child’s teacher or guidance counselor to get a better understanding of exactly why they have been recommended for mentorship.

Your child will be meeting with their during the day in school. They will usually meet in the library or other resource area. The specific day and time will be decided when your child is matched with their mentor.

Each mentoring session consists of 10-12 mentoring meetings. Each mentoring meeting lasts between 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the school program.

Youth Mentoring Initiative is a 501c3 community fueled and funded organization relying on the support and donations from the community of Fishers. Our services are not funded by or tied to the school budgets or tax dollars in any way. We have several private grants as well that allow for staffing compensation and basic overhead.

YMI Mentors are trained to create great conversations to helps students attain critical assets like but not limited to community service, commitment to their school, honesty, integrity, and conflict resolution. Click on “About YMI” and then “The Developmental Assets” to read more about the assets. As a mentoring relationship grows, life experiences and challenges are shared. YMI mentors are trained to provide an appropriate level of confidentiality between them and their mentee. They are also trained to immediately report anything that could hurt their mentee or someone else.

Our mentorship program works on trust and honesty. It is imperative that the students feel safe and free to share their thoughts and feelings without fearing repercussions. As such, the sessions are not recorded, documented or made available to the parent. However, we can provide general updates of what was covered in the meeting and any major milestones that should be celebrated with you and your child if you would like.

Your child’s participation is completely voluntary. If at anytime you or your child does not want to continue, please contact your child counselor. We encourage you and your child to complete an entire mentor session (10-12 meetings) before a decision is made. Mentoring relationships take time to grow and develop. Give it as much time as you can before you or your child makes a decision to not continue.

Contact your child’s school counselor at any time you have a question or concern.