Creating a Mentorship Program by Researching Student Needs and Mental Health Supports

Summary

In response to the growing mental health and academic challenges faced by middle school students, a group of dedicated 10th and 12th grade AVID students created the AVID Peer Mentorship Program at Crossroads Preparatory Academy. The initiative began with the teacher intentionally selecting passionate and reliable students to lead the project. Students conducted research on school-based issues, consulted administrators for insight, and partnered with University Health to receive formal mentorship training through the school’s mental health liaison. The program was designed with three primary goals: providing a stable support system for 7th and 8th graders, offering guidance on long-term career path planning, and fostering skill development in areas such as leadership, conflict resolution, and behavior management. Students collaborated to answer key open-ended questions about trust-building, effective mentor-mentee relationships, and ways to use mental health resources proactively.

The final product was a Mentor Handbook, created collaboratively by all participants. It documented the full process of building the program and served as both a training tool and guide for future mentors. The handbook was used throughout the mentorship process and reflected the students’ thoughtful, strategic, and empathetic approach to addressing real needs within their school community.

Takeaways

The one barrier this CCP faced was coordinating a mentor/mentee schedule that works best for middle school and high school students to have regularly scheduled meetings.

Advice

I would tell a new teacher joining RWL to stay persistent and ask a lot of questions. And make sure students are doing the majority of the work so that they learn through each part of the experience.