Mentee Application

Parent/Legal Guardian/Foster Care Parent Guidelines

A child in your care has been invited to participate in The Mayfly Project program! The Mayfly Project is a national nonprofit on a mission to support children in, or adopted out of, foster care with the sport of fly fishing! Fly fishing is a great tool for children in foster care to have fun, build self-esteem, develop life-skills, and find a new connection to the outdoors.

What we do at our outings

• Meet at multiple locations once every 2-3 weeks; outings last 1-4 hours, depending on the outing time set by the lead mentor.
• Mentors teach fly fishing skills, such as casting, knot tying, fly tying, picking flies, reading the water, and catch and release fishing. We also teach on topics that we call, the characteristics of an angler, that include having patience, building self-confidence, finding grit, taking care of the environment, and seeking wisdom. The children also earn buttons for participation as they participate in our conservation initiative.
• We provide a 1:1 mentor ratio, but we do everything in a group and have a 3 in a group safety policy. Providing a physically and mentally safe environment for the children we mentor is our number one priority! The second is fun!
• At the final outing, every child that has participated with our projects will receive fly fishing gear to keep and a specialized curriculum to continue to learn about fly fishing!

Who are the Mentors?

Our mentors are volunteers from your community that believe in the healing power and the fun of fly fishing and care greatly about leading others to this sport. Mentors go through an application process, reference check, background check, interview, and training specific to TMP. We have trauma informed care videos for our mentors and a handbook that teaches on these topics:

• About Children in Foster Care
• Trauma Informed Care and Inclusivity
• Communication and Behavior Response Guidelines
• Handling Escalation and Disruptive Behaviors
• Conflict Resolution and Mandated Reporting
• Tips for Being a Great Mentor
• Tips for Being a Great Fly Fishing Guide
• The Mayfly Project Program Rules

Group Home Staff/Parent/Legal Guardian’s Role:

In order for the child to fully experience the benefits of fly fishing, it’s essential they meet with the mentors on a consistent basis, so we ask that you work with us to ensure the child can attend all of the outings. If there are any barriers to this consistency, please let us know how we can help! We only allow a certain number of participants, so please do not register if you cannot commit to the project.

We understand that youth in this position have been through a tremendous amount of change and abandonment by adults, so we are committed to never cancelling an outing unless there are safety issues, such as extreme weather.

Please register your child using this confidential form, and include anything that we may need to know to ensure your child has a great time with us! Thank you for your time!!

Mentee Registration Form