RISE Mentors

We have completed our first wave of mentor recruitment; however, we are always on the lookout for new candidates throughout the year. We look forward to hearing from you.

Would you consider yourself someone who enjoys helping others? Do you enjoy bonding with teams and finding creative ways to teach life skills? How do you feel about hanging out with young adults and watching them gain confidence in a fun and relaxed learning environment?

We are Project RISE--Resilience, Independence, Self-advocacy, and Employment, a transition program that combines positive blindness philosophy with proven strategies to cultivate tomorrow’s competitive blind workforce.

They are young adults from all corners of the Virginia commonwealth between the ages of 14 and 21 with interests as broad as their greatest potential.

You are naturally curious, compassionate, optimistic, and eager to play a key role in preparing the next generation of blind professionals and informed citizens.

Your Call to Service

The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia (NFBV) seeks blind and visually impaired adults interested in serving as mentors for the 2022-2023 academic school year. Mentors can expect to be assigned a small group of students with whom they will work on a variety of exercises closely tied to pre-employment transition services. These exercises will span travel and transportation, daily living, communications, job seeker training, among other key areas.

Essential Details

Duration: Late August 2022 to mid May 2023.

Approximate Time Commitment: 30 hours per month. This includes direct communication with students as well as monthly sessions consisting of a mix of half day in person and virtual seminars and weekend-long programs. We tentatively project up to three weekend-long events in late October, mid January and early May. Local health guidance is observed for in person meetings.

Compensation: Mentors receive a monthly stipend of $250. Meals are provided at all functions. Lodging is covered for overnight events.

Mentors are responsible for:

• Actively serving on a creative and collaborative team of coordinators, mentors, and volunteers
• Submitting summaries of communications with students to track student progress
• Complete short activities and maintain communication between sessions to provide students with ongoing support and feedback
• Participating in professional development training to optimize student impact
• Pitching in with event logistics to deliver effective programs
• Stepping up and lending a hand or suggesting new ideas to make the program stronger

Note: Beneficial, but not at all required, we are always interested in special skills including: bilingual, experience with multiple disabilities, and sign language interpretation.

Requirements for Personnel Contractors

Anyone contracted to provide services to the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is required to successfully pass a background check, performed by the state of Virginia. If awarded a contract, individuals will be providing services subject to the terms outlined in the independent contract. The compensation will be provided in a monthly stipend and excludes additional benefits of any kind.

Further, all candidates agree to abide by the National Federation of the Blind's Code of Conduct.

Next Steps

If interested, please complete the brief application below. Rolling interviews for this first wave of recruitment will be coordinated through August 15 dependent on qualifications and experience.

If you have difficulty with the form below, or have additional questions, please contact Joe Orozco, Program Coordinator, at: 703-495-3273.

So, are you ready to serve?

Mentor Application