What it is
The alumni-mentor track is the engine that makes The Forge sustainable. You walked through the 8-week core. You spent 12+ months in the continuation track. Your mentor changed your life. Now you do that for someone else.
This isn't volunteering. It's vocation. The research shows that the act of mentoring deepens your own formation more than any curriculum can — you become the person you needed when you were 22.
The pathway
Mentor orientation (3 sessions)
Alumni-specific training covering: how to listen without fixing, recognizing crisis signals, maintaining boundaries, two-deep leadership, and when to refer out. You'll complete safe-environment training and get background-checked if you haven't already.
Matched with 1 mentee
One man per cohort. Not three, not five — one. Quality over quantity. Your cohort lead matches based on shared interests, life context, and personality. You have input into the match.
Walk the 8-week core alongside him
You attend the weekly cohort sessions as a mentor. You meet your mentee 1:1 between sessions. You're not teaching — you're present. You share your story when it's useful and you ask questions the rest of the time.
Monthly mentor debrief
Mandatory and sacred. All mentors gather monthly — food, fellowship, honest conversation about what's hard. This is where mentors are cared for. Mentor burnout is the silent killer of programs like this; we don't let it happen.
Continue the relationship
After the 8-week core, you stay matched with your mentee into their continuation track. The relationship evolves from structured to organic. Some mentor-mentee pairs become lifelong friends.
Requirements
- Completed the 8-week core + 12 months in continuation
- Safe-environment training (we'll help you get it)
- Full background check (criminal + sex offender registry)
- 3-session mentor orientation
- Endorsed by your own mentor or cohort lead
- Minimum age 25
- Commitment to one mentee per cohort cycle
- Annual recertification
Why the safety protocols matter
You'll be working with men carrying real trauma. The safe-environment training, background checks, two-deep leadership policies, and annual recertification aren't bureaucracy — they're how we make sure this ministry helps and never harms. One incident destroys trust that took years to build. We protect these men by protecting the process.
At a glance
- Commitment
- 1 cohort cycle (~6 months)
- Mentees
- 1 per cycle
- Time per week
- 3-4 hours
- Mentor debrief
- Monthly
- Training
- 3 sessions + safety cert
- Prerequisite
- Core + 12mo continuation
“Mentoring Marcus taught me more about myself than any book or program ever did. When he called me at 2 AM during a bad night, I knew: this is what I'm for.”
The scale engine: Every alumnus who becomes a mentor means one more man can enter the core next cycle. This is how The Forge grows — not by marketing, but by men who were changed deciding to change the next man.