By Kathy Chouteau
Everybody needs someone to lean on, and the Richmond Police Activities League’s (RPAL) “Be a Mentor Program” fills that meaningful role in the lives of many local kids.
RPAL’s program trains adults to mentor youth between the ages of 7-23 years old for one-to-two hours per week in both its Be a Mentor and Leadership Programs. Once younger kids experience and age-out of the Be a Mentor Program, they can progress to the Leadership Program for high school aged youth.
At first glance, the Be a Mentor Program may sound like it solely benefits the kids, but RPAL Manager Mark Torres says it’s for the adults too. After RPAL background checks and trains adult volunteers, he said that he often sees them evolve into even “better adults” for spending quality time mentoring the kids.
The program involves kids in a variety of activities ranging from picnics, one-on-one/group mentoring and homework help.
Participation in the program starts with parents reaching out to Torres, followed by an interview to see if the child is a good fit, then acceptance into it and a two month probation period. From there they move on to the mentoring aspect or any of the many other RPAL programs available to them.
Throughout the school year, mentor classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours per day, during which time the kids can share with their mentor any issues in their lives with family or friends. “Things nobody does with these kids,” Torres said about the mentor-mentee exchanges. Right now there are about 30 kids in Be a Mentor and a little less than 20 kids in the Leadership Program.
As part of Be a Mentor, kids get involved in a variety of activities ranging from picnics, one-on-one/group mentoring and homework help, to Lego Robotics, music/recording studio, STEM activities, Makers Space, Explorers—where they check out police and fire program career paths—Podcast Program, sports, out-of-town trips and more.
Torres said kids in the program have traveled to destinations like Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Santa Barbara in recent memory. “Many of the kids haven’t been out of Richmond,” he said. Further emphasizing the value of the extracurricular activities, he added that approximately 5 to 10 ex-RPAL members are now cops.
As a child, Torres said he participated with his siblings in the Big Brother mentorship program. His father was incarcerated and they were raised by a single mother, noting the program made a huge difference in his life. He said the experience helps him better relate to the kids at RPAL. Beyond his work there, Torres has also been very involved in mentoring kids through sports, which he feels offers a lot of teachable moments.
Torres said RPAL is currently seeking numerous mentors for the Be a Mentor Program; those interested in volunteering or participating in the program can contact him at [email protected] or 510-427-4252. Learn more about RPAL.
