Become a Mentor to Refugee Girls!

BECOME A MENTOR

GirlForward is seeking dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers for our Mentoring Program, which matches women mentors with girls resettled through the refugee resettlement program. As a mentor, you will be paired with a mentee in grades 9-12 or a recent graduate and will meet with her for at least two hours per week to talk about school, relationships, and careers, and to do fun and engaging activities together. As a mentor, you will make a one-year commitment to GirlForward and will receive trainings to prepare you for this role.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Commit to mentoring a high school girl for at least six hours per month through weekly meetings.
• Meet with mentee to discuss subjects related to GirlForward’s Four W’s: Wellness, Wisdom, Wallet, World, as part of GirlForward’s Mentoring Program curriculum.
• Must be an ally to GF girls and comfortable talking about issues such as race, religion, culture, socioeconomic status, academics, health, relationships, community engagement and others.
• Set and work toward achieving goals with mentee.
• Attend group mentoring trainings.
• Communicate with mentee’s family and community.
• Maintain communication with GirlForward staff.
• Complete monthly mentor evaluations.
• Be an active member of the GirlForward community.

Qualifications

• Must identify as female
• Must be at least 21 years old
• Must have access to reliable transportation (public transit/car)
• Must have at least a 2-year degree
• Experience working with youth, tutoring, or mentoring preferred
• Fluency in English, knowledge of additional languages including Arabic, Pashto, Burmese and others highly preferred
• Must have a strong commitment to social justice and community engagement.
• Must believe in the practice of cultural humility and critically analyze their own identity, culture, power, and belief system in relation to the community.
• Must believe in the power of adolescent girls to create positive change in their communities and the world!

Women who identify as immigrants, refugees and/or women of color are strongly encouraged to apply.

Process

The process to become a GirlForward mentor includes five steps:

1) Complete the information session

2) Submit an application by July 1st ! Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

3) Complete an interview.

4) Reference and background check.

5) Attend training

If, following the screening process, you are invited to become a mentor with GirlForward, you will be paired with a mentee in September 2026.