Become a Mentor

Current Mentor opportunities (Fall 2024):

Bold Idea has volunteer opportunities at the following locations. Click the button above to learn more!

  • Charles Rice Learning Center

  • George B. Dealey Montessori Academy

  • Margaret B. Henderson Elementary

  • Jack Lowe Elementary

  • John Neely Bryan Elementary

  • William Lipscomb Elementary

  • Todd Middle School

  • Tom C. Gooch Elementary

  • Whitney Young Elementary School

  • Dallas Hybrid Prep/iLearn Academy

  • Dallas College (Brookhaven and Eastfield Campuses)

  • ideaSpark Online Coding Clubs

Mentor Requirements:

  • Be 18 years of age or older

  • Computer with Wi-Fi Access (no tablets), Camera, and Microphone

  • Complete and pass a background check annually ($19) *

  • Attend mentor training before start of camps (2 hours virtual or in-person) as well as additional touch points during session timeframe

  • A passion for computer science education and patience for the learning process

  • NO previous coding experience is required

*This may not apply to Dallas ISD employees

Mentor Responsibilities:

  • Support a team of 15 students each week, alongside other mentors, offering encouragement, guidance, and new ideas

  • Prepare for each session in advance by reviewing pre-planned activities, practicing them yourself, and anticipating any student questions

  • Get excited about student achievement and invested in their development during the semester-long course

  • Coordinate with the Team Captain to track student progress

  • Demonstrate behavior and a positive attitude that others should model

Note on coding experience: While we don’t require mentors to have a background in coding, we encourage volunteers to learn the material as the students are learning and complete the coding activities before working with students. You may even find that diving into the computer science concepts and programming languages in your own time makes you are a stronger mentor - and programmer. 

What Does Bold Idea Provide Our Mentors?

Volunteer Support: 

  • Required training videos and semester kick-off training events

  • Team Captain and Program Coordinator leadership

  • Volunteer Portal, access to all course materials and resources

  • Connection with Bold Idea Staff and other volunteer mentors & other tech professionals through Bold Idea’s Slack channel

Benefits of volunteering:

  • Develop skillset in education, programming, and leadership to support career goals

  • Support the delivery of Bold Idea’s mission to develop and empower young minds to execute bold ideas as a team through the power of technology

  • University students can acquire service hours

Mentor Opportunity Examples

ideaSpark Online

Mentor young coders with Bold Idea in ideaSpark Coding Clubs Online. Sign up for a weekly coding camp that takes place online via Zoom. Students work on projects in Scratch, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript.

ideaSpark at Dallas College

Mentor young coders with Bold Idea in ideaSpark Coding Clubs Online. Sign up for a weekly coding camp that takes place in person at a Dallas College Campus. Students work on projects in Scratch, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript.

ideaSpark at Dallas ISD

ideaSpark Coding Clubs are available at select Dallas ISD schools as an after-school program. Volunteer to mentor in-person at a DISD campus.