Los Altos Town Crier: 'Partners' make local students' lives easier through mentors, tutors

Written by Bruce Barton - Los Altos Town Crier

Maria, left, and her Partners for New Generations mentor, Helena McLoughlin, share a laugh together.

They do everything from bowling and hiking to cooking and going to movies. But most of all, teens and their adult mentors in the Partners for New Generations program talk – and listen – to one another. It’s these relationships that help struggling students build self-esteem and find positive direction in their lives.

Partners, a non-profit group that has provided mentors and tutors to local students for 16 years, has scheduled volunteer information nights and open houses 6-7 p.m. Oct. 18 and Nov. 17 at Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District offices, 1299 Bryant Ave., adjacent to Mountain View High School.

For Mountain View High sophomore Tina (Partners declined to release students’ last names), mentor Marsha Adler brought stability to her life.

“I started out not knowing where I was going to live,” said Tina, a foster youth who has found “the right family” since beginning her relationship with Adler a year ago.

“My experience with Marsha has been really fun, laid-back and chill,” Tina said. “The first day, we went bowling.”

The way Partners’ mentor coordinator Carole Dorshkind puts it, mentoring’s positive effects are subtle over time. In most cases, simple, honest friendship and having fun do the trick.

“We don’t want (mentors) to think about ‘fixing’ these kids,” she said.

Maria, a senior at Mountain View High, found companionship and a common bond with mentor Helena McLoughlin. Both are from other countries, Maria from El Salvador and McLoughlin from Ireland.

“I really wanted someone to talk to – someone not part of my family,” Maria said. “We both help each other.

“The idea of mentoring always appealed to me,” said McLoughlin, a personal trainer from Mountain View.

“We hope mentors possess an eagerness to support a student,” Dorshkind said. “We need good listeners, people who are tolerant (of teen behavior).”

Mentors are asked to commit to meeting their partners for at least an hour at a time, twice a month over the course of a school year. But friendships that develop, like Maria and Helena’s, have no such time limit.

Meanwhile, Partners’ tutoring in reading and other subjects involves local elementary and junior high students. Currently, there are 12 tutors at the middle schools and 40 in the K-6 classes.

“But we could always use more,” Dorshkind said.

For more information on Partners for New Generations or the upcoming information nights, visit www.pngmvla.org, email Dorshkind at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 766-2162.

Photo Credit - Elliott Burr/Town Crier