657 Mission Street
Second Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-4104
TEL: 415 512 2020
FAX: 415 512 7109
sfcamera@ sfcamerawork.org
About Mentoring
"Mentoring is the long term and consistent relationship between and younger person and an older, wiser adult where the focus of the relationship is always on successfully meeting the needs and achieving the goals of the younger person." First Exposures Mentor Training
First Exposures: About Mentoring
Two First Exposures students: Naomi, age 13 and Courtnie, age 14.
"My mentor teaches me how to print and how to see things differently".
First semester student,
age 14
There are many different types of effective mentoring. Many people are fortunate enough to find mentors at different times in their lives. For some people, mentors are harder to come by.
The reason that mentoring has become institutionalized on a broad
scale in programs like First Exposures is because more young people
in our communities are having a harder time naturally finding
mentors.
Part of what you can do as a mentor is share experiences you have
had with role models in your life and help your student understand
that there are other positive people out there who can become
mentors at different times in his or her life.
First Exposures employs group mentoring and one-to-one mentoring at the same time. Mentors work as photography tutors one-to-one with their students. Typically, the mentors and students will work together as part of a larger group
First Exposures provides a safe and supportive environment where our students can learn challenging skills in order to express themselves through photography. They develop a heightened sense of self-esteem and can take on other projects in their lives with greater self-confidence because of their experiences with the program. Their mentor can become a role model to them and is a person who helps them identify and attain goals in their life outside making art.
Some students may pursue photography throughout their life, but
most will not. While learning photography with the support of
a mentor, our students develop skills necessary for taking on
challenges throughout their lives.
First Exposures is a participating member of the California Mentoring
Initiative and the San Francisco Mentoring Coalition.
In accordance with their guidelines on mentoring and informed
largely by the guidelines of the Mentoring Center in Oakland,
First Exposures defines mentoring as follows:
New mentors in First Exposures go through a thorough application
and screening process. They are each provided with a First Exposures
Mentor Handbook, and are given a preliminary program orientation
by the Program Coordinator.
At the beginning of each semester, First Exposures invites different
child care, arts education, and/or mentoring professionals for
a twice annual mentor training for new and continuing mentors.
These main trainings are reinforced with monthly mentor meetings
held on the first Saturday of each month.
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