The Friendship Circle

Mini Grant Provided by WHAFConducted by:

Jami Heffley and Aaron Smith

The Friendship Circle

A student-to-student peer-mentoring program designed to teach leadership and social skills to both male and female students at Edgewood and Dickson Elementary Schools. Open to all students Open to all grade levels

The Mentors

Boys and Girls in 5th & 6th grade Nominated by teachers based on:

Leadership skills Positive school behaviors Academic Success

Participated in a weekly mentor meeting to build leadership skills

Group Members

Parents and/or school staff recommended students in need extra support based on the the following risk factors: social skills, discipline, attendance, and

behavior data These students participated in at least

12 weeks of group

The Budget

Money was used to purchase materials to use in the small groups.

Games Books Puzzles

Weekly Groups

Under the supervision of either Mr. Smith or Mrs. Heffley, a student mentor worked with a small group of students

The goal was for the younger students to imitate appropriate behavior learned from the mentors

The mentor created a relationship with the members in their group

Teamwork and Cooperation

Stories and Discussions

Leadership

Social Skills

Learning a proper handshake

The Goal

To decrease negative behaviors and increase positive behaviors for all students involved.

Create a lasting relationship between group members and Mentors

Students will learn leadership and social skills necessary to be successful at school and as responsible citizens in the community.

All students will learn valuable communication skills along with the importance of commitment and empathy.

Did you like being a mentor?

“I liked being a mentor very much. I think I was picked because I have self-control. Also, because I am very polite.” –6th grade boy

“Yes. I was picked because I have self-control. I learned how to act in a bad situation.”

What did you learn as a mentor?

“ I learned that you must always behave and be good or you might not set a good example for the little ones. I think group was successful because it had an impact on the kids in my group.”

“I learned that it’s fun to make a big difference in young children’s lives.”

What did you learn in group?

“Controlling my temper” “social skills”-4th grade “being nice” – 1st grade “no bad words or mean”-

Kindergarten “to be nice to people.”-4th grade “how to control your feelings”

What was your favorite activity in group?

Puzzles Guess the emotion game “When we learned about manners” The bubble activity Passing the thumb ball “Helping each other with personal

problems”

Do you think group was successful?

“Yes, I think group was successful because our members learned from their mistakes and really listened to what is a better way to do things.”

“Yes, I do think group was successful because I think it’s helped a lot of kids improve their behavior.”

Student Participation

Edgewood 15 Mentors 41 Group

Members

Dickson 10 Mentors 32 Group

Members

Total Students Involved in the program: 98 Students