Transforming Lives Through Virtual Mentorship: A Conversation with CHADS Virtual Mentor Chrystal Crawford
Social-emotional wellness is a cornerstone of student success, shaping academic achievement, emotional resilience, and interpersonal skills. Mentoring has long been a proven way to foster social-emotional wellness, and virtual mentoring has expanded its reach and impact.
This National Mentoring Month, we’re shining a spotlight on virtual social-emotional mentoring and its many benefits. We sat down with Chrystal Crawford, a Virtual Social Emotional Mentor at CHADS, as she talks about how virtual mentoring has become a vital tool in helping students thrive.
Benefits of Virtual Mentoring
Chrystal laid out a few of the benefits of virtual social-emotional wellness mentoring. Among these are the easy access and comfort students feel, the ease of scheduling, and parental inclusion. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Expansion of Access
Chrystal cites the expansion of access as one of her favorite benefits of virtual mentoring. “Virtual mentoring allows me to be open to a wealth of resources as many students benefit from videos, online games, [and] utilizing the chat function.”
Attending an in-person mentoring session can prove challenging for many students who rely on working parents for transportation. With virtual mentoring, students can log on from the comfort of their home or after-school space, saving time and driving.
When a student is in their own space, they are sometimes more relaxed and engaged in the session. What’s more, on days when students don’t feel like talking out loud or appearing on camera, the virtual environment allows them to text, or play games at their leisure and still receive the benefits of social-emotional mentoring.
Schedule Flexibility
Virtual mentoring offers unparalleled flexibility, making it easier to accommodate students’ busy lives. Without the constraints of transportation, geography, or parents’ schedules, students have more options for when and how they attend sessions.
Chrystal even says, “I find it to be more flexible and more comfortable for many of my students. I see them after school hours when they’re more relaxed and open to learning.”
This flexibility not only increases participation but also allows mentors to reach students from a variety of backgrounds, further broadening the impact of social-emotional wellness programs.
Parental Inclusion
Virtual mentoring provides a unique opportunity to involve parents in their child’s growth. Open lines of communication enable parents to share updates, receive progress reports, and work collaboratively with mentors.
“Virtual mentoring is a great option for some students and their families as it allows me to have more interaction with the parents,” Chrystal says. “Sometimes, a parent will text me shortly before or during a session, letting me know about a recent challenge. That feedback helps me tailor my approach and ensures we’re all working together.”
Parents play a crucial role in their child’s development, and virtual mentoring strengthens this connection, fostering a collaborative environment that benefits everyone involved.
The Rewarding Path to Becoming a Mentor
For Chrystal, the journey of becoming a mentor has been deeply rewarding. She takes pride in the relationships she’s built with her students, some of whom have been with her since her first year at CHADS.
“I’m very proud of the fact that some of the students I serve have been with me since the first year I started,” Chrystal reflects. “That says a lot about the value students and their parents see in this service.”
Chrystal believes that the success of virtual mentoring lies in its ability to meet students where they are—whether online or in person—and provide them with the tools they need to succeed. Interested in our virtual mentoring options or want to learn more? Visit https://bit.ly/3FTzhyX or email us at sewadmin@chadscoalition.org.