The Migrant Mentoring Program, the only project known of its kind, matches children of migrant farm workers with local volunteers in social mentoring relationships. The program is designed to provide educational and social support for our migrant farm worker families, as well as an opportunity for cultural exchange between the volunteers and migrant families. Evaluations and outcomes indicate great progress in building cultural bridges, as well as improving opportunities for children of migrant farm workers.
Ottawa County hosts the largest number of migrant and seasonal farm laborers in M
ichigan, with nearly 12,000 workers and their families in residence annually. Children in migrant agricultural families often face significant developmental and educational challenges, including poverty, limited English proficiency, rural and social isolation, and health risks associated with intermittent medical care and pesticide exposure. For migrant children, these obstacles are compounded by mobility as families move from site to site in search of work. As migrant workers are in the field long hours, six days a week, the children are left with little opportunity to engage with parents. The Migrant Mentoring Program is a member of the Ottawa County Mentoring Collaborative. It is the only mentoring program designed specifically to work with children of migrant farm workers.
The four program goals are:
• to build cultural bridges between the local population and the migrant community by providing an opportunity for cultural exchange;
• to improve the academic achievement of the migrant children by providing mentors willing to provide social and academic support;
• to increase the comfort level of migrant children and families functioning within the local community by providing mentors who will develop positive relationships and serve as ambassadors to the community;
• to increase access to community resources for the migrant children and families by exposing migrant children to local facilities and events.
Sixty-three children were matched with mentors in 2007. Parent and volunteer evaluations indicate the program was very successful in meeting its goals.
Outcome measures from 2007 can be downloaded in PDF format.
