Volunteer Mentors

A mentor is a caring adult who provide extra support and encouragement, a helping hand or a listening ear. They are someone who can challenge a youth to be their best selves, and who believes in them as they work to achieve their goals. A mentor helps by being available.

So many of the young adults served by Covenant House Alaska have not experienced adults who are reliable or who genuinely care about their progress. Being a mentor is a highly rewarding endeavor. You’ll provide guidance and serve as a positive role model, working on-on-one with youth making the journey to self-sufficiency and independence. Mentors work with young adults ages 17-24 in one of our transitional living programs.

Apply Now!

For more information contact our Volunteer manager, Holly Payne: 907-339-4261 or volunteer@covenanthouseak.org.

Mentor Requirements

  • At least 28 years of age
  • Able to pass a background check
  • Willing to make a 2 year commitment
  • Able to dedicate time at least twice/month in person, and communicate weekly
  • Understand the critical importance of consistency and availability
  • Desires to work with youth to develop independent living skills

Steps to Become a Mentor

  1. Application: Submit electronic application here.
  2. Interview: Schedule interview with staff to discuss background, interests, expectations, and the role.
  3. Background Check: You’ll complete a State of Alaska fingerprint based background check.
  4. Orientation & Training: You will participate in online orientation modules (3-4 hours in total) a live, mentor-specific, orientation (2 hours), and an annual online child protection training (2 hours) to understand policies and procedures  and how to best serve this population.
  5. Transportation Paperwork: If you'd like to provide transportation to young people as a mentor, we'll collect documentation for approval. Providing transportation is not a requirement of the program.
  6. Matching: Once the above steps are complete, mentors are introduced to youth. It may take some time for an official match to develop; however mentors are expected to participate in activities to get to know people. It's important to be patient in the matching process, as we want each match to be successful.
A Heart ( and Ear) for Youth January 16, 2025 - By MJ Vieweg Carla Dudley may be just starting the process of becoming a Passage House mentor but she’s especially suited for the role. When asked what her ‘mentor superpower’ might be, her response was “just listening”. As it turns out, Carla is an expert at listening. Besides volunteering at Passage House now that she is semi-retired, Carla is a… Continue Reading