kids.now

If you knew that donating just 1.5 hours of the 168 hours you have available per week, could change 10 kids' lives forever, would you do it?

Here's your opportunity. When you volunteer your time as a kids.now coach-mentor, you become a positive influence during a critical developmental period in a child's life - grades seven and eight. It's a time when kids make choices that can change the course of their lives forever. Mentors help kids make positive choices. A major US study found that young people with mentors are:

• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
• 52% less likely to skip school and more confident in their performance in school work
• able to get along better with their families

Now here's the best part: As a coach-mentor you'll improve your own life too! Research confirms that people gain a multitude of skills from volunteering, including enhanced interpersonal skills and improved ability to understand people better, motivate others, and deal with difficult situations. Communication skills are also improved. In fact, many kids.now coaches confirm that they apply the skills they developed through the program to their daily lives.

Here's what some of our coaches have said about their kids.now experience.

• Fun and enthusiastic?
• Able to relate to kids?
• Open to other cultures and diversity?
• At least 21 years old?
• Committed to making a positive difference in kids' lives?
• Interested in developing new skills that could improve your own life?

If you answered "yes" to the above, then kids.now is the right choice for you.

What's involved?

• One six-hour training session with other coach-mentors
• Weekly 1.5 hour program sessions for 12 weeks (fall or spring programs)
• Half-hour prep time each week for 12 weeks

Convinced? Great! Here's how you sign-up:

• Complete and submit the application form
• Pass a personal reference check and a police check
• Attend a personal interview with a kids.now program manager

Need more information? See our Coach FAQs

Do you know someone else who might be a good mentor to kids in their community? Click the Share button at the bottom of the page and tell them about this opportunity.

Would you like to help kids.now in some other way? Here are some suggestions.

Complete and submit the kids.now volunteer coach-mentor application form.