How do I become a mentor?

I have searched everywhere for info on this and have not been able to find a single thing about it. How do I become a SL mentor?

I don't think 'mentors' as such exist anymore in SL?, although I'll stand corrected if wrong. Go and stand at Help Island OI main for a couple of hours and see for yourself how difficult a job it is. Far better to join one of the several help or public island volunteer groups. They do great work and are very helpful and approachable. The one at 'help people island', runs volunteer training courses and is very informative and you can learn a lot in a more structured environment. I think there's a box there to drop a notecard, to express an interest I personally don't think the newbie 'drop zone' when you first start SL, is of any use whatsoever for anybody.

We're still here, but, enrollment has been closed in forever. I'm not sure what kind of support Mentors get from LL anymore. Blog postings have nearly halted. Group events have gone unannounced. We got 'quizzed' to see who's paying attention and it shaved the group to about 1700 members. So, things aren't looking bright for those who have access to the Help Islands. (T_T)

On the other hand, inworld volunteer groups like NCI, HPI, and the Community Gateways are doing an excellent job at helping new residents enter into SL. I'd advise approaching those groups as they're self-regulating, very resourceful, and have been doing a far better job than the Mentor program for years. (^_^)y

Thanks so much for your input, both of you. I'll look into everything you've suggested.

No good deed goes unpunished?

Heh... I'm the bloody mascot for that phrase. =^-^=

Phenicia,

I'm a former mentor...I quit for reasons which have nothing to do with the mentor program per se, and I still miss it.

However, you can do the exact same work WITHOUT being an "official, LL-approved" Mentor. The only thing you can't do is go to the restricted Help Islands that are the initial arrival points for most avatars.

The Help People! Institute was mentioned. They are a very large and active helper group.

There is Caledon Oxbridge University, which has their own gateway arrival point and a wonderful group of staff. They will soon be offering introductory courses for new residents as well.

There's GQ Start, a smaller new-resident help organization with a classroom, a freebie store, and low-cost rental apartments for the newcomer.

There's NCI, with its several campuses across the grid and an extensive offering of classes.

There's Virtual Ability, a helper group for new residents with an arrival port like Oxbridge, but with an emphasis on helping people with RL disabilities.

Or you can just go to Help Island Public, or Orientation Island Public (the landmarks are in your Library), or to any Welcome Area, and stand around talking to people. It may help to have a titler on you and a kit of Useful Things to hand out to new residents. Those areas all tend to be crowded with junior grade griefers and practical jokers...but I know at least one av that spends nearly all of her time at OI Public being helpful, and has for at least the time I've been here in SL, more than two years now.

Here's a tiny bit of praise for her: Di Dilley, you are a saint! Bless you for everything you've done to make Second Life a better place, one avatar at a time.

How long can a new arrival stay at the starting point help island? I never stayed long so I dont know, but I would think if you wanted to get there all you would have to do is create an alt. Then you could forward everything you need from your other account to the alt and be a mentor that way.

I actually did that for a while, before I got my Mentor tag. There's no limit on how long an avatar can stay on Help Island. The only restriction is that you can't leave and then return again. Once you're gone, you're gone.