How it Works
Starting in the 9th grade, OhanaHC provides mentorship and commits to working with mentees for ten years into young adulthood. Each mentee is surrounded by three mentors known as an Ohana. Mentors work together to connect with the mentee and support them as the mentee as they work toward their self-defined goals.
Our Structure
Why three mentors to one mentee? Great question! We understand that life gets busy, and that mentorship is a big responsibility. With that in mind, ensuring that each student has three mentors means that there is always someone available for the student to lean on for support.
Mentors commit for one year (but usually stay much longer). When an Ohana is formed, the mentors are diversified by these measures: race, age, religion, ethnicity, profession, gender, and personal pronouns. Students have three unique individuals that they can tap into for different perspectives. A diverse pool of support allows for more opportunities for the mentee and allows them to explore what the community has to offer.
How Students Are Chosen
Typically, our program starts by working with 9th graders who would benefit from mentorship; students in other grades may also join the program. Each student is surrounded by three mentors known as an Ohana. Mentors work together to connect with the student and support them as they grow. OhanaHC supports these students for 10 years into young adulthood.
We work with students of all races, abilities, genders, and creeds. While all are welcome to participate, we recognize that many of the students we work with are of color; as such, we are working to build partnerships and trust within these communities to help raise awareness of OhanaHC and to ensure we do this work in a way that resonates with the population we most predominantly serve.
We are committed to continuously advancing our processes and our learnings in order to better serve our students with intentionality, care, and thoughtfulness. We also recognize that this equitable approach will also have beneficial and inclusive implications for all.
