College Community Mentoring Program
The College Community Mentoring Program (CCMP) is a volunteer mentoring program that seeks to engage the students of the University of New England (UNE) in the community by serving as consistent, reliable adult role models for local children and youth.
Mentors build a structured and trusting relationship with their mentees by offering guidance, support, encouragement, and academic assistance. Through the CCMP mentoring relationship, UNE mentors help young people develop into confident, competent, and contributing members of society. In turn, student-mentors strengthen their dedication to the community and thoughtfully enhance their college experience.
Through the CCMP, the University of New England partners with the following schools and organizations: Biddeford Head Start, Biddeford Primary School, Biddeford Head Start, Biddeford Middle School, Kennebunkport Consolidated School, Sea Road School of Kennebunk, the Middle School of the Kennebunks, Jameson School, and the Northern York County YMCA.
Why Become a Mentor?
Why become a mentor with the College Community Mentoring Program?
- Give back to the community – get involved and make a difference!
- Provide support to children and youth that need it most.
- Build a strong connection with a mentee.
- Improve leadership and communication skills.
- Explore possible career paths.
- Enrich your academic experience through service.
- Have fun!
Mentoring Opportunities:
- Training – Gain knowledge and skills useful for mentoring and beyond!
- Networking – Meet children, teachers, community leaders, UNE staff, and other UNE mentors.
- Leadership – Become a CCMP student officer! Help with mentor recruitment and training, management of the CCMP budget, planning of reflection sessions and other CCMP activities.
Mentor Responsibilities
What is expected of a CCMP mentor?
- Commit 1-2 hours per week to mentee(s) and mentoring site for one academic year.
- Attend mandatory two-hour training before any mentoring begins.
- Attend periodic reflection sessions with other mentors and the CCMP coordinator.
- Provide a positive role model for a child or youth.
- Interact with children primarily in one-on-one situations.
- Assist mentees with academic work.
- Join mentees in extracurricular activities.
- Give the CCMP coordinator advance notice when missing a session.
- Do NOT see mentee(s) outside of scheduled meeting times.
How do I become a mentor?
- Fill out a CCMP application and return it to the CCMP Coordinator either by email, or by dropping it off in Decary 321.
- The application includes a list of all CCMP mentoring sites, as well as the days/times when each site needs mentors. Each mentoring site is unique; to learn more about each program, check out the mentoring site descriptions. Still not sure which site you’d like to work with? Make an appointment to chat with the CCMP Coordinator, and they can help you figure out which site will be the best fit for you.
- The application also asks for two personal references; these references will be checked by either the CCMP Coordinator or the CCMP Student Officers.
- Attend a mandatory two-hour training session before any mentoring begins. The CCMP Coordinator will contact you with details regarding day, time and location for training.
- If necessary, complete a background check as required by your mentoring site. The CCMP Coordinator will provide you with any necessary paperwork.
Contact Us
If you have any questions concerning the College Community Mentoring Program, or would like more information regarding CCMP, please do not hesitate to contact:
Betsy DeBrakeleer, CCMP Coordinator
Decary Hall 321
University of New England
Department of Sociology
11 Hills Beach Rd.
Biddeford, ME 04005
(207) 602-2294
bdebrakeleer@une.edu