A Fact Sheet

• The goal of the Arkansas Mentors Program is to help families on public assistance become self-sufficient through the assistance of community volunteers serving as mentors.

• The Arkansas Mentors Program began in 1991 from a DHS Division of Volunteerism initiative, in collaboration with the Division of County Operations and community leaders. It has been active in 49 of Arkansas' 75 counties. Fifteen states have benefited from information about the program, some as far away as New York and Vermont.

• The components of the program are one-to-one mentoring, team mentoring, and family mentoring.  Team and family mentoring are especially appropriate for men, clubs, or Sunday school classes.

• The volunteer mentors are caring people who are dependable, know community resources, and are good communicators and problem solvers. They help the mentees raise self-esteem and develop problem solving, life and work skills.

• Local collaborative groups include individuals from TEA Coalitions, the Cooperative Extension Service, Junior Auxiliaries, Mother-to-Mother Ministry, Single-Parent Scholarship Programs, and retired teachers, plus members of numerous faith-based organizations.

• The Arkansas Mentors Program has coordinated five regional faith-based conferences and one statewide mentoring conference. The faith-based conferences were developed in partnership with the Interfaith Conference.

• As a commitment to Arkansas’ Promise - the Alliance for Youth, the Arkansas Mentors Program has introduced every county in Arkansas to the Arkansas Mentors Program.

• In-service training, technical assistance, and help with funding sources are available to organizations that want to adopt the program in their community.  

• The Arkansas Mentors Program is a simple, straightforward program that is having a profound impact on the lives of our fellow Arkansans.