A legislative bill, LB511, was recently passed that authorizes adjustments to state employee work schedules so they can mentor. MENTOR Nebraska collaborated with Dr. Tom Osborne, TeamMates and many additional mentoring programs to bring this legislation forward on behalf of Nebraska’s mentoring programs. LB511 was introduced in January 2019 by Senator Tom Brewer, and was cosponsored by Senators Bostelman, Gragert, Halloran, Linehan, Murman, McDonnell and LaGrone. The bill passed in May 2019 with bipartisan support. Learn more about LB511 here.
The mentoring programs below have been reviewed and approved by MENTOR Nebraska. If a mentoring program is not listed, the program can submit an application here. MENTOR Nebraska will review the application to ensure the mentoring program is following best practices. The list of approved mentoring programs will be updated on a regular basis.
| Adams | TeamMates of Freeman |
| Ainsworth | TeamMates of Ainsworth |
| Albion | TeamMates of Boone Central |
| Alliance | TeamMates of Alliance |
| Alma | TeamMates of Alma |
| Arapahoe | TeamMates of Arapahoe |
| Arlington | TeamMates of Arlington |
| Arnold | TeamMates of Arnold |
| Ashby | TeamMates of Hyannis |
| Ashland | TeamMates of Ashland-Greenwood |
| Auburn | TeamMates of District #29 |
| Aurora | TeamMates of Aurora |
| Bayard | TeamMates of Bayard |
| Beatrice | TeamMates of Beatrice |
| Bellevue | TeamMates of Bellevue |
| Bennington | TeamMates of Bennington |
| Blair | TeamMates of Blair |
| Bloomfield | TeamMates of Bloomfield |
| Bridgeport | TeamMates of Bridgeport |
| Broken Bow | TeamMates of Broken Bow |
| Burwell | TeamMates of Burwell |
| Cambridge | TeamMates of Cambridge |
| Cedar Bluffs | TeamMates of Cedar Bluffs |
| Central City | TeamMates of Central City |
| Central City | TeamMates of Central City |
| Chadron | TeamMates of Chadron |
| Columbus | Big Pals - Little Pals of Greater Columbus |
| Columbus | TeamMates of Columbus |
| Cook | TeamMates of Johnson County Central |
| Cozad | TeamMates of Cozad |
| Crete | TeamMates of Crete |
| Curtis | TeamMates of Medicine Valley |
| David City | TeamMates of Butler County |
| Doniphan | TeamMates of Doniphan-Trumbull |
| Elm Creek | TeamMates of Elm Creek |
| Elmwood | TeamMates of Elmwood-Murdock |
| Elwood | TeamMates of Elwood |
| Fairbury | FYI Center Positive Action Mentoring Program |
| Fairbury | TeamMates of Fairbury |
| Fairbury | TeamMates of Fairbury |
| Fairfield | TeamMates of Sandy Creek |
| Fairmont | TeamMates of Fillmore Central |
| Firth | TeamMates of Norris |
| Fort Calhoun | TeamMates of Fort Calhoun |
| Franklin | TeamMates of Franklin |
| Fremont | TeamMates of Fremont |
| Fullerton | TeamMates of Fullerton |
| Geneva | Fillmore County CASA |
| Gering | TeamMates of Scotts Bluffs County |
| Gothenburg | TeamMates of Gothenburg |
| Gothenburg | TeamMates of Gothenburg |
| Grand Island | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grand Island |
| Grand Island | TeamMates of Grand Island |
| Grant | TeamMates of Perkins County |
| Greeley | TeamMates of Central Valley |
| Gretna | TeamMates of Gretna |
| Harvard | TeamMates of Harvard |
| Hastings | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hastings |
| Hastings | TeamMates of Hastings |
| Hebron | TeamMates of Thayer Central |
| Hershey | TeamMates of Hershey |
| Holdrege | TeamMates of Holdrege |
| Imperial | TeamMates of Chase County |
| Johnson | TeamMates of Johnson-Brock |
| Kearney | TeamMates of Kearney |
| Kearney | The Friends Program |
| Kimball | TeamMates of Kimball |
| Laurel | TeamMates of Laurel-Concord-Coleridge |
| Lexington | TeamMates of Lexington |
| Lexington | TeamMates of Lexington |
| Lincoln | Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln |
| Lincoln | CASA for Lancaster County |
| Lincoln | Strengths for Life Mentoring Program |
| Lincoln | TeamMates Mentoring Program |
| Lincoln | TeamMates of Lincoln |
| Lincoln | Athlete2Athlete Transitional Mentoring |
| Louisville | TeamMates of Louisville |
| Madison | TeamMates of Madison |
| Maywood | TeamMates of Maywood |
| McCook | TeamMates Mentoring Program of McCook |
| McCook | TeamMates of McCook |
| Meadow Grove | TeamMates of Elkhorn Valley |
| Merna | TeamMates of Anselmo-Merna |
| Milford | TeamMates of Milford |
| Minden | TeamMates of Minden |
| Mullen | TeamMates of Mullen |
| Nebraska City | TeamMates of Nebraska City |
| Neligh | TeamMates of Neligh-Oakdale |
| Nelson | TeamMates of Lawrence-Nelson |
| Norfolk | TeamMates of Norfolk |
| North Platte | Community Connections Mentoring |
| North Platte | TeamMates of North Platte |
| Oakland | TeamMates of Oakland-Craig |
| Ogallala | TeamMates of Ogallala |
| Omaha | Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands |
| Omaha | FITGirl, Inc Teen Mentorship Program |
| Omaha | Hope Center for Kids |
| Omaha | Joslyn's Kent Bellows Mentoring Program |
| Omaha | Just Friends Mentoring Program |
| Omaha | Kids Can Community Center |
| Omaha | Leadership and Mentoring Academy (LMA) |
| Omaha | ME First Mentoring camp |
| Omaha | NCYF Mentor Program |
| Omaha | Omaha Young Life |
| Omaha | Partnership 4 Kids |
| Omaha | Pathfinder's Mentoring Program |
| Omaha | Reach & Rise |
| Omaha | Release Ministries Juvenile Justice Mentoring |
| Omaha | TeamMates of Millard |
| Omaha | TeamMates of Omaha Catholic Schools |
| Omaha | TeamMates of Omaha Public Schools |
| Omaha | TeamMates of Westside |
| Omaha | The Bike Union Mentoring Project |
| Omaha | TRAClife |
| Omaha | Youth Care & Beyond |
| Omaha | Youth Emergency Services |
| O'Neill | TeamMates of Holt County |
| Orchard | TeamMates of Clearwater-Orchard |
| Ord | TeamMates of Ord |
| Osceola | TeamMates of Osceola |
| Oshkosh | TeamMates of Garden County |
| Osmond | TeamMates of Osmond |
| Palmyra | TeamMates of Palmyra-Bennet-Douglas |
| Papillion | TeamMates of Papillion-LaVista |
| Pawnee City | TeamMates of Pawnee City |
| Pender | TeamMates of Pender |
| Pierce | TeamMates of Pierce |
| Plainview | TeamMates of Plainview |
| Plattsmouth | TeamMates of Plattsmouth |
| Polk | TeamMates of High Plains Community Schools |
| Ralston | TeamMates of Ralston |
| Randolph | TeamMates of Randolph |
| Red Cloud | TeamMates of Red Cloud |
| Schuyler | TeamMates of Schuyler |
| Seward | TeamMates of Seward |
| Sidney | TeamMates of Sidney, NE |
| South Sioux City | TeamMates of South Sioux City |
| St. Paul | TeamMates of Howard County |
| Stanton | TeamMates of Stanton |
| Sterling | TeamMates of Sterling |
| Stromsburg | TeamMates of Cross County |
| Superior | TeamMates of Superior |
| Sutherland | TeamMates of Sutherland |
| Sutton | TeamMates of Sutton |
| Utica | TeamMates of Centennial |
| Valentine | TeamMates of Valentine |
| Valparaiso | TeamMates of Raymond Central |
| Wahoo | TeamMates of Wahoo |
| Wausa | TeamMates of Wausa |
| Waverly | TeamMates of Waverly-District 145 |
| Wayne | TeamMates of Wayne |
| West Point | TeamMates of West Point-Beemer-Bancroft |
| Wilcox | TeamMates of Wilcox-Hildreth |
| Wisner | TeamMates of Wisner-Pilger |
| Wood River | TeamMates of Wood River |
| York | TeamMates of York |
| Yutan | TeamMates of Yutan |
In accordance with Nebraska Revised Statute 81-1392, State of Nebraska employees wishing to participate in an approved youth mentoring program can request to adjust their current work schedules up to one hour per week if the employee meets the following state-approved guidelines.
Eligibility Requirements for Participation
The following are the eligibility requirements for participation:
- The employee’s current performance review is satisfactory and the employee is not currently on a performance improvement plan
- The mentoring program is on the list of approved youth mentoring programs
- The employee follows agency guidelines in submitting request to adjust time
- The employee meets all background checks and additional requirements of the mentoring program
- The employee signs the “Accident Waiver and Release of Liability” form
An agency may deny a request if the employee’s absence is not in the best interest of the State, interferes with agency operations and/or services, or the employee does not meet the eligibility requirements. Employees must provide their supervisors proof (email, confirmation letter, etc) that they meet all background checks and additional requirements of the mentoring program they choose. Each agency is responsible for verifying the youth mentoring program that the employee is volunteering for is on the approved mentoring list.
Leave Time
Upon authorization from the employee’s supervisor, employees wishing to participate in volunteer activities during work hours may request the following:
- Flex time
- Vacation time
- Compensation time
- Leave without pay
The Agency’s leadership are responsible for maintaining and setting employee’s work schedules including the ability for employees to flex work schedules. Please see the Nebraska Classified System Personnel Rules and/or the appropriate Labor Contract for more information on leave time.
State Approved Mentoring Programs
Any employees wishing to participate in youth mentoring programs must select a program from a state approved mentoring program.
Use of State Government Equipment
Employees must follow the State of Nebraska’s Acceptable Use Policy. Employees are allowed to review the mentoring options on the database using a state computer, however, they must do it on lunch or breaks. Any additional use of State Equipment must be in alignment with the State’s and his/her agency’s acceptable use policy.
Liability for Injuries
All participation in volunteer mentoring activities are done on the employee’s personal time and should not be considered work time. Please refer employees to the “Accident Waiver and Release of Liability Form” to sign prior to participating in volunteer mentoring activities.