If you are interested in mentoring an Animas High School student for a LINK internship or coming into Animas High School as a Power Lunch speaker, contact LINK Program Coordinator Zoë Nelsen at (970) 247-2474 or [email protected]
Why Be a LINK Mentor?
Since LINK’s start in 2011-12, Animas students have interned with:
LINK provides for adults in our community and beyond an experience that helps counter negative stereotypes our culture holds about young people. Through their role as LINK Mentors and co-workers, adults witness firsthand just how responsible, bright, positive, helpful and amazing teenagers can be.
On every criteria for evaluation (Professionalism, Attendance, Organization, Independence, Communication, Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving, Ethics/Integrity), 2014 LINK Mentors rated the majority of our students as “Exceptional,” with an average of 72% identified as “Exceptional” across the board. Not a single LINK Mentor rated an intern’s performance in any of these areas as “Poor,” and the overall average for the “Needs Improvement” rating among the 7 categories was only 3%. A full 69% of the Mentors rated the LINK Program as “Exceptional,” with the additional 31% saying it “Meets Expectations” (not one rated it as “Needs Improvement” or “Poor”).
From Former LINK Mentors:
This was my first year being involved in the program and I thought it was run very well and went very smoothly. I appreciated the oversight and support offered to both the LINK intern and to me as the mentor. Three weeks also seems like the perfect amount of time to work with an intern like this -- long enough for the student to settle in and get a significant project done and get a real feel for our work. It's a great program and I'm glad to have been involved.
We were honored to be a part of such and incredible program and we would love to host another intern in the future. Everything ran smoothly, from the first communication with Libby to the final presentations at the school. We loved it!
I believe you have a great program that is very forward thinking & positive for your students and the "global" community. I would encourage you to share your LINK concepts with other school districts/educators so they may see the opportunity and huge benefits this experience provides your students. Nicely done. Thank you for allowing us to participate.
I was impressed with the program. The program is well designed. The mentor handbook was helpful, and explained our responsibilities. I was impressed that we received two visits from the teachers; it showed all of us how important this project is to the school and to the intern.
LINK Forms for Mentors
Why Be a LINK Mentor?
- Invest in our community's future by supporting the education of young adults
- Create positive community connections
- Enhance the relevance of classroom learning through real world experience
- Access student perspective to energize your organization's ability to connect with young people
Since LINK’s start in 2011-12, Animas students have interned with:
- 98 local businesses/organizations/individuals
- 11 businesses/organizations in other communities in Colorado
- 16 businesses/organizations in other states
- 5 organizations in foreign nations (Mexico, Guatemala, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Malawi)
LINK provides for adults in our community and beyond an experience that helps counter negative stereotypes our culture holds about young people. Through their role as LINK Mentors and co-workers, adults witness firsthand just how responsible, bright, positive, helpful and amazing teenagers can be.
On every criteria for evaluation (Professionalism, Attendance, Organization, Independence, Communication, Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving, Ethics/Integrity), 2014 LINK Mentors rated the majority of our students as “Exceptional,” with an average of 72% identified as “Exceptional” across the board. Not a single LINK Mentor rated an intern’s performance in any of these areas as “Poor,” and the overall average for the “Needs Improvement” rating among the 7 categories was only 3%. A full 69% of the Mentors rated the LINK Program as “Exceptional,” with the additional 31% saying it “Meets Expectations” (not one rated it as “Needs Improvement” or “Poor”).
From Former LINK Mentors:
This was my first year being involved in the program and I thought it was run very well and went very smoothly. I appreciated the oversight and support offered to both the LINK intern and to me as the mentor. Three weeks also seems like the perfect amount of time to work with an intern like this -- long enough for the student to settle in and get a significant project done and get a real feel for our work. It's a great program and I'm glad to have been involved.
We were honored to be a part of such and incredible program and we would love to host another intern in the future. Everything ran smoothly, from the first communication with Libby to the final presentations at the school. We loved it!
I believe you have a great program that is very forward thinking & positive for your students and the "global" community. I would encourage you to share your LINK concepts with other school districts/educators so they may see the opportunity and huge benefits this experience provides your students. Nicely done. Thank you for allowing us to participate.
I was impressed with the program. The program is well designed. The mentor handbook was helpful, and explained our responsibilities. I was impressed that we received two visits from the teachers; it showed all of us how important this project is to the school and to the intern.
LINK Forms for Mentors
- Mentor Handbook--includes description of mentor responsibilities as well as expectations of our students
- Mentor Agreement--to be completed once you've been paired with an AHS intern
- LINK Mentors Transporting Students in Personal Vehicles--if you anticipate you may need to drive your intern in your vehicle
- Accident Report--in case of an accident during the internship
- Incident Report--in case of a behavioral issue during the internship