Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley

Goodwill® GoodGuides® Youth Mentoring Program

Goodwill® GoodGuides® Youth Mentoring Program is a national mentoring initiative designed to help youth between the ages of 12–17 to build career plans and skills as they prepare for school completion, postsecondary training, and productive work, by providing structured and supportive relationships with adult mentors. Locally, GoodGuides is operated by Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, serving youth in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties. GICV works in collaboration with the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies under its Community Intervention Program, and with many community partners*.

Goodwill GoodGuides facilitates a platform for mentors
that is designed to provide youth with a positive framework
that includes:

Job Readiness
Employer Relations
Financial Education
Community Connections

Adult mentor working with 4 youth on computers

Purpose
By engaging youth in positive activities with adults who are strong role models, youth receive the encouragement and support they need to maximize their potential. GoodGuides engages adults who are expected to commit to supporting, guiding, and being a friend to a young person for a period of one year.

By becoming part of the social network of adults and community members who care about the youth, the mentors can help the youth to develop and reach positive academic, career, and personal goals.

Youth holding sign that says "Mentoring Matters"

GoodGuides Mission
The mission of the Goodwill GoodGuides Youth Mentoring Program is to empower youth to make positive choices that enable them to maximize their current and future potential.

GoodGuides Vision
Goodwill GoodGuides Youth Mentoring envisions a nation in which youth experience nurturing, positive relationships and community support that enable them to develop to their fullest potential with the capability of making informed, responsible decisions as involved members of their communities.

Application Process
Interested mentors and youth will submit a Mentor Application or Youth Application to GICV. When the application is received by GICV, a staff member will contact the applicant to discuss the program. For those applying as mentors, GICV will discuss and then conduct the required background checks listed below.

Extensive Background Check (paid by GICV)
   • Federal Criminal History Check (Act 114) – (FBI Fingerprinting)
   • PA Criminal Record Check (Act 34)
   • PA Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151)

GICV's Human Resources department will perform all background checks online and will cover the costs. Applicants will receive the reports in the mail and will turn them in to GICV. For the FBI fingerprinting, GICV will provide a registration confirmation printout that an applicant must take to the fingerprinting site. The applicant can go to any fingerprinting location of choice. Click here for FBI Fingerprinting locations.

Matching Mentors with Youth
Through a structured and selective process, GICV matches volunteer adult mentors with volunteer youth for optimal success.

Careful consideration is given to:
• Preferences of the mentor, youth, and/or parent/guardian
• Same gender, ethnicity, and/or race
• Common interests
• Similarity between youth’s interests and mentor’s career
• Special needs of youth
• Compatibility of meeting times
• Geographic proximity
• Similar personality types

Role of GoodGuides Mentors
• Pass extensive background check
• Complete orientation and training
• Commit to participate for 1 year
• Spend at least 4 hours per month with youth
• Help to prepare youth for good jobs and careers
• Empower young people to make positive decisions
• Contribute to the well-being and capabilities of youth
• Offer inspiration and hope to youth in our communities
• Experience the joy of volunteering and making a

   difference in the lives of others

Role of the GoodGuides Youth
• Voluntarily enroll
• Commit to participate for 1 year
• Spend at least 4 hours per month with mentor
• Engage in organized career awareness activities an
   additional 2 hours per month
    –   Career exploration
    – Service learning
    – Job shadowing
    – Internships
    – Skills training
    – Business/plant tours
• Communicate weekly with mentor
• Set goals for the future and work to obtain them

How to Apply
Individuals who are interested in participating as mentors or youth can begin the process for consideration by downloading and completing the Mentor Application or Youth Application. A member of GICV’s GoodGuides staff will contact each applicant. During this time, the staff will discuss the process for the Federal Criminal History Check (Act 114) – (FBI Fingerprinting), PA Criminal Record Check (Act 34), and PA Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151) for mentor applicants.

Referrals Requested
Anyone who knows of trusted adults who would like to mentor youth residing in our communities of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties or knows of youth who could benefit from these services is encouraged to contact GoodGuides.

Cindy O’Connor, Program Manager

(814) 536-3536, ext. 304

goodguides@goodwilljohnstown.org

* GICV works in collaboration with the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and these Community Partners
Alternative Community Resource Program • AmeriCorps (PA Mountain Service Corps) • Blair County Juvenile Probation • Cambria County Children and Youth Services • Cambria County Juvenile Probation Bureau • Cambria-Rowe Business College • Changing Expectations Mission (CEM) • Christ Centered Community Church • Christian Home of Johnstown • Communities in Schools/Communities that Care • Community Foundation for the Alleghenies • Dale Valley Arts & Cultural Center • Ferndale Area School District • Fitness Weights Aerobics (FWA)/Flood City Boxing/Flood City Youth Fitness • Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania • Greater Johnstown School District • Greater Johnstown YMCA • Grove Avenue United Methodist Church • Learning Lamp • New Day, Inc. • Northern Point Learning • PA CareerLink Bedford County • PA CareerLink Blair County • PA CareerLink Cambria County • Penn's Woods Council, Boy Scouts of America • Rotary Club of Johnstown • Southern Alleghenies Workforce Investment Board • United Way of the Laurel Highlands • Victim Services Inc. of Cambria and Somerset Counties • Zion Lutheran Church

GoodGuides Overview Brochure GoodGuides Brochure for Interested Youth

Funded by Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley, Inc. and a grant from the Community Foundation for
the Alleghenies.

Coverage area by counties: Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset program is funded through Grant No. 2009-SC-B9-0035 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this content (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).