What is the Village of Light nonprofit mentoring program and how long have you been around? Village of Light is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was founded on June 17, 2022 by Iverson Bonner, a retired New York City District Council of Carpenters union carpenter.
What is your organization's mission? Village of Light mentoring program mission is to provide teenage and young adult males in the black community with the support of a nurturing and caring male mentor along with their parent(s) or guardian(s) so they can live happy, healthy and fulfilling present and future lives.
What programs do your offer? We provide five different tiers of mentoring - Traditional, Group, Team, Peer and Virtual Mentoring. All programs focus on offering support, counsel, friendship, and positive reinforcement.
How do you measure the impact of your organization’s operation? We use various metrics to determine the effectiveness of our program by way of program evaluation systems, such as: surveys and questionnaires that assess the mentors, teen and young adult mentee population, and parents.
PARTICIPANT
Is this a free program?
Yes, our nonprofit's goal is to always provide free mentoring programs.
How old do I have to be?
To participate, you must be between the ages of 13-21 years old.
How do I sign up to participate in the mentoring program? Our policy is very straightforward. All teens or young adults must request an application, complete a face to face interview, obtain permission to participate from parent(s) or guardian(s), and complete our program orientation.
How long will I receive mentoring?
Our mentorship program terms are six months of team mentoring, six months of group mentoring, then the mentor and mentee can have one to one mentoring sessions. The duration will be determined at the end of a one-year term of one to one meets.
Do I need a referral? No. Teens and young adults do not need referrals. However, the teens need consent from the parent(s) or guardian(s). Referrals are also accepted they can come from parent(s) or guardian(s), teachers, counselors, or other youth professionals, city, state or government agencies.
Where are your mentoring meetings held?
Meetings are held at the Village of Light headquarters located at 111-20C Farmers Boulevard, Jamaica NY - please use side entrance on Mangin Avenue.
DONOR
What do you do with my donor information? Transparency matters and we treat donor information seriously, we will never sell or share your information to any third party companies. Please refer to our Privacy Policy or Terms of Service for more information.
Where does the money go when I donate to your organization?
When you make a tax-deductible contribution, your donation will help advance Village of Light's mission and ensure our mentorship efforts will continue to grow. Your gift will allow us to offer these free programs to today's youth as we work to enrich their lives and our communities. How can I make a donation to your organization?
Click here to make a donation today - please consider signing up for our recurring option, which you can cancel anytime.
Will I get a receipt for tax purposes?
A tax receipt will automatically be sent to each donor, once their donation is completed. A yearly contribution will also be sent to contributors at the end of that calendar year.
VOLUNTEER
Where do your volunteer mentors come from?
We recruit mentors from all over, but we primarily look for individuals associated with local business community, civic organizations, colleges and schools, minority professional associations, religious institutions etc. How can I sign up to volunteer as a mentor? We vet each and every one of our mentors. Our policy for volunteers that want to serve as a mentor begins by attending an orientation, completing an application and then agreeing to a full background and reference check. The final steps in the process entails a face-to-face interview and we ask that you commit to a minimum of six months to one year.
How can I contact you to volunteer? Please email us for additional information at info@VillageofLightNYC.com or complete the form below and we will get back to you with a volunteer kit.
