Mentor Immigrant and Refugee Youth

The Go-Betweener Mentoring Program 

Unique Philosophy:  “Go-Betweeners” 

Immigrant and refugee youth have the experience of "going between" their culture at home and American
culture at school and in the community. This can prove to be especially confusing and challenging. Often,
these youth are able to learn English and adapt to American culture faster than their parents, but with
little support and guidance present as their parents are usually working multiple jobs to make ends
meet. They are at particularly high risk for falling behind in school, dropping out, or becoming involved with
drugs and gangs.

We match both 1st and 2nd generation youth (ages 7-17) very specifically with mentors who are:
• also immigrants and refugees;
• who speak the same home language; and
• are from the same (or very similar) home culture, and if they were born outside of the U.S. they
have been in the U.S. for several years.
This way, they are able to relate to and support their mentees in a way that no one else could. They
understand the unique challenges that their mentees face, and they are able to communicate effectively
with their families - connecting them with resources in the community and helping them to learn to be
successful in American culture while maintaining their roots with their own culture.  

A mentor can:  
• be a caring and supportive adult presence
• help with school work
• help with English skills
• help their mentee to set and work towards goals
• connect their mentee (and sometimes his/her family) with resources in the community
• foster an attitude of succes
Other information about the program:
• We thoroughly screen our mentors through in-person interviews, background and reference checks.
• The program is community based. This means that mentors and mentees schedule activities together
independent of Culture Connect. They may participate in community service projects; attend cultural
festivals, or visit museums, theatres, and venues such as the Zoo. Sometimes, they just hang out and
talk while cooking a meal or walking in the park.
• The program requires mentors and mentees to spend at least 4 hours per month with each other for 1
year.
There is an application process and training required for both mentors and mentees.
Contact us for more information today!


Culture Connect, Inc.

P.O. Box 250          
Clarkston, GA  30021       
tel. (404) 292-8457 x 4 
fax (404) 292-8458 
www.cultureconnectinc.org