BV Buddies is a Buena Vista University organization that partners with a community organization called STARS to provide mentors to middle and high school Storm Lake students. The community is currently in need of 15 mentors.

Students who have a mentor are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 78% more likely to volunteer regularly, 90% are interested in becoming a mentor, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions, according to mentoring.org. By being part of a mentorship, the mentor and mentee create a relationship or a bond that builds confidence and self-esteem.

The STARS organization was originally called TeamMates, a nationally-recognized mentoring group. The Storm Lake community decided to leave TeamMates in order to continue working with BV Buddies. Through an application process, BV Buddies places people with the Storm Lake students in hopes of having a good fit for both the mentor and the mentee.

BV Buddies aims for three learning outcomes for their mentors: Develop patience, insight, and understanding, gain experience for future careers in public service, social work, teaching, and more, and form stronger ties with the community.

Mentoring does not only serve the child. The mentorship allows the mentor to grow and develop alongside the mentee. Current mentors have explained that time can be an issue. Others who choose not to be mentors explain that it is because of the time commitment that they cannot; it is not because they do not want to.

The time commitment is very limited. As a mentor, you only need one hour of time to spend with a child. According to Emmanuel Amon, AmeriCorps VISTA, many mentors like that it is only an hour commitment. Students spend their hour with their mentee doing arts and crafts, homework, video games, or other activities.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor, email [email protected] to apply.