Stories happen wherever we show up and stick around to invest love, mercy, and hope in one another's lives. This means Miami Valley Leadership Foundation's volunteers and partners enjoy front-row seats to incredible moments of change and transformation. And our team wants to share those stories! As an MVLF volunteer, you have access to the nook-and-cranny narratives we might never know about unless you share them. So, we've created this brief form to help you share.
To share a story, complete the form and submit any information and photographs you have to share. You may see your story in a future newsletter or social media post. Thanks for all you do, and thanks for sharing these incredible stories!
MVLF MENTOR STORYTELLING TIPS
1. A Picture Does Say a Thousand words: Do you have a picture you'd like to take with your mentee to share with MVLF? As long as your mentee is comfortable with it, go for it. If MVLF has approval from the mentee's guardian(s) to share the picture, you may see it in an upcoming newsletter or post!
Before you snap the picture, make sure your phone is oriented horizontally, not vertically. And if someone else is taking the photo, make sure he or she isn't standing too far away.
Note: Please do not post pictures of your mentee to your personal social media pages, unless your're sharing an MVLF-featured post or story. Mentee parents and guardians sign a release for when they complete MVLF's participation agreement. This form indicated if mentee's guardian(s) has given MVLF permission to use a picture of the mentee. Any photos MVLF receives are cross-referenced with these forms to ensure only those photos that have parental permission are shared online.
2. Jot Down A Summary of the Story: We'd never want you to interrupt your time with your mentee. But we also know how busy things can get afterward. So, if you feel you have a story to share from time with your mentee, after you leave the school (maybe in your car before you leave or when you get home), jot down a few notes about why that moment stood out to you.
3. Share an MVLF Story: If you're on Facebook, Linkedin, or our email list, you likely know we share stories to those pages and in our monthly newsletter. If not, we invite you to join! When ever you see a story shared to our social media or in a newsletter, perhaps one you share with us, we'd love for you to share that with your friends, family, and others! Be sure to hit the "like" button and share it to your page or forward the email to someone who may be encouraged by it.
And remember:
Stories Happen More than you think: You may be thinking, "When will I have a story to share. Truth is, stories happen every time you're with your mentee. Don't feel pressured to share something from every interaction. But be willing to see everyday moments with your mentee as important interactions, and when something stands out to you--maybe in something he or she shares, a success in his or her life, a learning moment they have, or something you learn as a mentor--make a mental note, then jot down an actual note.