Everyone will have challenges that can cause a significant detour in what you had hoped for in life. Some may be of your own doing, others could be related to family, and still others have nothing to do with you personally, but have caused the world around you to become chaotic. The recent Pandemic is a great example of this. No one could have ever thought that our world would just come to a halt and now our very existence would change so dramatically in what seemed to be overnight. The Hand Up Network Mentoring Program was developed to do just this, help people that are going through a tough season in life get back on track. The journey is not easy and rarely, quick. Many lack any type of quality support system and that is where Hand Up Network steps in to help.
Intake
Anyone is welcome to come through our doors and many of our Clients are referred by partnering agencies, churches, and our own Victim Services and Response Teams. We want to help anyone that is serious about getting out of their situation. We are not a welfare organization and will not just blindly throw money at a problem. We want to understand the Client, every journey is unique to the individual, and then come alongside and work WITH them to restore their life on to a path that they earn. The first step then is to create an appointment for an intake interview. These appointments are usually anywhere from 30 min to an hour and consist of determining where the Client is at this moment in time from their perspective and to get a good understanding of who Hand Up Network is and how we help. Each prospective Client will fill out a full self-evaluation as to where they see their lives at this point in time.
SPARC
(Sparking a Passion for A Renewed Calling)
Our SPARC Classes focus on providing a prospective Client a good understanding of the Hand Up Network “Five Fingers of Focus”. The classes are spread out over 2 separate days and provide the Client an understanding of how we begin to develop a life strategy that is custom to their personal situation in life. These two days are designed to be thought provoking and stimulate many questions about their personal situation and how Hand Up Network will work to help address them all. Upon completion of these sessions, the prospective Client will do another self-evaluation that usually provides more accurate assessment of where they are at this point in their life.
At this point, it’s up to the Client to determine if they are serious about changing their course in life and want Hand Up Network to help come alongside. They will make a conscious decision to opt into the Mentoring Program.
Mentorship
Step one is to begin to peel back all the layers of life and get to the root challenges that each Client is facing. It begins with our Staff providing initial discussion, mentoring, etc. This time allows us to get to the know the person, understand what challenges they face, and also help to determine how they like to work, communicate, etc. Once we get a good feel for who they are, we start to introduce them to one of our Volunteer Mentors. The Mentor is not selected randomly, but is determined by the needs of the Client. No one is a full specialist in any area and thus the Lead Mentor may also lean on Staff and other Mentors of different expertise when needed.
An example could be the Lead Mentor seeing a need for some Financial Literacy training and we will reach out to our Partners, Austin Bank, who have Volunteers at the ready to help provide financial training, support, etc.
The Mentorship Journey is all about creating a Life Plan for the Client and then slowly working through to provide stability, process, and a plan for a better life in the future. We measure every single step of the way and the data helps to provide us the information of what seems to be working, and if there are areas that need to be adjusted to get a better outcome. Many of these journeys are long, but we see a substantial increase in quality of life the longer they continue to work. It is a documented fact that the longer a Client stays in the Mentoring Program, their quality of life increases substantially in the short and over the long term.
We expect to become one of the stronger Support Systems for the Client over the years to come. It is our desire to always be there for the Client and provide Tier II support for them well after they are back on their feet and doing well again. We never want a Client who has worked hard to get into a better place in life to have something happen later and they go back to the beginning. Hand Up Network is here to provide the support necessary to ensure that when the bumps in the road come along, we are here to help them manage the situation.
Hand Up Network has numerous Programs ranging from Job Training to Financial Literacy to GED/ESL to Entrepreneurship as well as Well-Being and Support Programs. We are at the ready to help anyone that is serious about helping themselves get to a better place in life. You can contact us at 903-597-5334 or Info@HandUpNetwork.com to find out more information or schedule an Intake Appointment.
HAND UP NETWORK™ is a 501c3 non-profit based in Tyler, TX that has assembled an international team of leaders with decades of experience with a desire to come back home and bring focus to those in need in local communities. The Network offers long-term programs to people seeking a new season in life and response teams designed to address community issues and emergency response. The Network provides intentional volunteer opportunities for people wanting to provide support within their programs and opportunities to engage via Response Teams. The Hand Up Network was awarded the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and a National Top-Rated Nonprofit for 2020! This is the highest level of achievement possible.
