TALKS Mentoring, engaged in Champaign Urbana since 1995, is an innovative, cognitive-behavioral approach to youth mentoring that focuses on leadership skill development through peer-to-peer and youth-adult interactions. Our mission statement is to enroll, educate and facilitate instructive interaction between adults and young people. TALKS implements a structured format by which adult mentors from the community serve as role models for children in the public schools. Rather than the traditional one-on-one approach to mentoring, TALKS is implemented in a small group setting. Students are identified by their schools (principals, social workers, teachers) for participation in the program and placed in groups of one adult mentor with three students—usually a racially mixed group with one student who excels, one whose academic performance is average but who could do better with support, and one student who is “at-risk” academically, behaviorally, or both. The objective is to generate positive peer pressure for the low functioning child to achieve, but participant testimony suggests that usually all three students benefit.

• commit 1 hour per week (30 minutes in a public school and 30 minutes of travel time)
• mentor on weekdays (no weekends or evenings)
• make contact with students only at school
• serve as "real" model for students not a replacement parent
• attend training sessions and support seminars as needed
• use the content-based curriculum that is provided

• a content-based curriculum and structure
• 3 wonderful children to interact with
• training sessions
• support seminars

• provide wise counsel to children
• provide encouragement to children
• partner with school and parents
• birth new dreams and nurture old dreams

• download the application and return it
• submit a background check
• attend a training session