Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse & community leaders celebrate National Mentoring Month

As part of our 20 Challenges in 2012 initiative, we launched the Mayors for Mentoring campaign to engage mayors from around Massachusetts in raising awareness of the need for more mentors in their city; recognizing local mentoring programs and their participants; and encouraging  ways for individuals and communities to get involved in mentoring in their city.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse is one of our Mayors for Mentoring, and he helped celebrate National Mentoring Month in Holyoke in January.

On January 28, he and more than 50 supporters of mentoring joined Mass Mentoring Partnership and MMP Board Member Ann Burke at the Holyoke Health Center to celebrate National Month. The event was moderated by Ann, who is the Vice President of the Economic Development Council of Western MA.

Mayor Morse proclaimed January as Holyoke Mentoring Month. He also spoke about the personal impact mentoring has had on his life and why mentoring is vital to the health of the Holyoke community.

“Mentoring programs are a proven and powerful community strategy that

Mayor Alex Morse

impacts the wide variety of critical social issues facing the young people of the City of Holyoke,” he said. “Whether they are faced with academic challenges, the risk of teen pregnancy, or violence and bullying, students who are invested in a high-quality mentoring relationship are not only likely to experience an increase both in self-esteem and a hope for the future, but they are provided with the skills they need to rise above the pressures of adolescence that so many of our young people face on a regular basis.”

Paul McCraven, Senior Vice President Community Development with First Niagara – one of the key supporters of mentoring in Western MA – spoke about their investment in mentoring through their “Mentoring Matters” program, which includes support for the pilot of the Dean Technical High School Career Pathways Mentoring Program, which assists mentees with workforce development. The Dean Tech program was developed in partnership with MMP, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, Dean Technical High School, and the Holyoke Health Center. Paul also announced that their support will continue in 2013 through a grant that is focused solely on innovative projects and program enhancements in Holyoke.

Mentees from Dean Tech Career Pathways Mentoring

The Dean Tech mentees were in attendance and acknowledged by George Barton, Director of Business Development with the Holyoke Health Center. Eileen Cavanaugh, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holyoke, emphasized the importance of career exploration and spoke of how innovative and replicable this mentoring model is. Youth who are exposed to different career choices and who learn important workforce skills translate to better prepared and more skillful workers in the future.

Ashley Ewick, a mentor and staff member at Girls Inc. of Holyoke, shared her perspective on mentoring’s impact on her and the small group of girls she works with. The Girls Inc. small-group mentoring program serves girls between 11-15 and includes several hours of the Girls Inc. curriculum, which includes financial literacy, teen pregnancy prevention and community leadership.

The celebration concluded with an inspiring personal story of mentoring from Rich Greif, MMP Director of Marketing and Public Awareness. He also discussed the many ways individuals, schools and businesses can support mentoring and urged everyone to think about how they can invest in mentoring in their communities.

Sarah Shugrue is the Manager of Western MA Partnerships with Mass Mentoring Partnerships. To learn more about mentoring in Holyoke contact her at 413-262-1227 or sshugrue@massmentors.org

Brockton mayor supports mentoring

As part of our 20 Challenges in 2012 initiative, we launched the Mayors for Mentoring campaign to engage mayors from around Massachusetts in raising awareness of the need for more mentors in their city; recognizing local mentoring programs and their participants; and encouraging  ways for individuals and communities to get involved in mentoring in their city.

Brockton Mayor Linda M. Balzotti, who was nominated to participate by Old Colony Y Big Sister Big Brother, was one of the first to participate.

“Mentors have the unique opportunity to shape the futures of young men and women in communities across the Commonwealth,” Mayor Balzotti said. ”They play a vital part in awakening the spark of potential that these youth might not always see in themselves. This is the work of mentors in Brockton and everywhere, and our futures are bright because of them.”

Mayor Balzotti helped promote mentoring in Brockton throughout National Mentoring Month. As she has each year since its inception, she attended the 5th Annual Mentor Recruitment Rally in Brockton on Jan. 31 at the Shaw’s Center. She also hosts a cable show, “Our City,” and had representatives from Big Sister Big Brother on to promote the event.

“The mentor rally plays an important role in connecting those interested in mentoring with available opportunities throughout our city,” said Mayor Balzotti. “I’ve been proud to take part in this annual event to encourage our partners to become mentors and to celebrate those individuals who have given their time to Brockton’s youth.”

If you’d like to nominate your mayor as a Mayor for Mentoring, or if you have questions about the campaign, please contact Elena Sokolow-Kaufman, manager of government & field resources at eskaufman@massmentors.org or 617.695.2476.

Quality mentoring in schools promotes student engagement

As part of our 20 Challenges in 2012 initiative to celebrate Mass Mentoring’s 20th anniversary, we are releasing a series of challenges to address key goals of mentoring in Massachusetts. Goal six is 20 ways that communities grow with mentoring. The Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring have researched 20 ways that mentoring provides positive social benefits that strengthen schools, families and communities. You can read more about their findings here.

This guest post is from Patricia Hanson-Staples, an Ambassador at Springfield School Volunteers. She interviewed David Finkelstein and Melin Menas from Freedom Credit Union for this post.

From David F.:

David F.

I had been a teacher in the Springfield Public Schools for 35 years.  I always had enjoyed my time as a teacher because of the interaction with students. And on many occasions, I had informally mentored students.

Two years after retiring I came back to Central High School, the school that I had retired from – but this time as a paraprofessional.  At that time I was approached by a Central counselor, and asked if I wanted to become a mentor.

I accepted immediately because I understood that one caring adult can make a life-changing difference in the future of young people. And I certainly have never regretted that decision. What so many young people need is acceptance, and a way to see how life will be positive.

Many of the students who are mentees are students who are at-risk. Often times they are students who, for one reason or another, have a very negative image of themselves. What they really need is someone who will be positive and hold them accountable for their own actions and choices. It seems like a simple formula – but it does work.

I have enjoyed many fun times with mentees that they have enjoyed also – and they have achieved success because they knew that I cared and was there for them.

I would recommend being a mentor to anyone interested in a fulfilling experience that benefits the community.

From Melin M.:

Melin

I absolutely enjoy my mentoring sessions at Central High School.  We discuss topics ranging from school work to music to home life – whatever she wants to discuss, I am there to listen, be a resource and hopefully guide her in a positive direction.

As a member of the business community, I believe that being a mentor is the right thing to do, and I am fortunate enough to work for a company that supports the belief of giving back to the neighborhoods in which we work and live in.  After all, one day, most of these students will themselves become an integral part of our society.

Quality mentoring empowers youth to make smarter social choices

As part of our 20 Challenges in 2012 initiative to celebrate Mass Mentoring’s 20th anniversary, we are releasing a series of challenges to address key goals of mentoring in Massachusetts. Goal six is 20 ways that communities grow with mentoring. The Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring have researched 20 ways that mentoring provides positive social benefits that strengthen schools, families and communities. You can read more about their findings here.

Patricia Hanson-Staples

This guest post is from Patricia Hanson-Staples, an Ambassador at Springfield School Volunteers. She interviewed David Martinez, Sr. for this post.

David Martinez, Sr. is 50-years-old with three children and six grandchildren whom he refers to as his “pride and joy.” David was born and raised in New York  by parents who are native Puerto Ricans. He recalls some of life’s struggles and triumphs that have led him here:

David Martinez, Sr.

“I remember how difficult it was for my mom when I was growing up.  One of my brothers was doing drugs, among other things, that saddened my mom and eventually broke her heart when he died of AIDS and drug abuse.  She had a very difficult time holding it all together for us.

I remember the negativity I felt in our community.  The Spanish-speaking population perceived prejudice due to our language barrier, and as a result was always expecting the worst.  When children are raised by parents who feel that way, the children take on the same mindset.  I believe that the feeling of being targeted can lead to making destructive choices.

One of my grandsons was having some difficulty in school with behavior relating to bullying and gang activity. I was called by one of the teachers and invited to observe.  I did, and realized that the issue was a lack of communication and ability to understand and deal with cultural differences. I immediately saw where I could be of help and asked the principal if I could just come in and talk to some of the students who were having similar issues, and she said, “yes.”

(Although my time is limited), I knew I had to make the time to help these students who were facing challenges that I could relate to in a very personal way.  My deceased brother used to say, “If I had someone to talk to, my life would have been different.”

I agreed to be an advisor to any of the kids who wanted to talk to me, and wound up mentoring two kids who completely turned their lives around.  I am not able to express adequately in words what that feels like. You save one and it feels like you saved the world.

-David Martinez Sr.

Quality mentoring keeps youth on a positive path

As part of our 20 Challenges in 2012 initiative to celebrate Mass Mentoring’s 20th anniversary, we are releasing a series of challenges to address key goals of mentoring in Massachusetts. Goal six is 20 ways that communities grow with mentoring. The Highland Street Corps Ambassadors of Mentoring have researched 20 ways that mentoring provides positive social benefits that strengthen schools, families and communities. You can read more about their findings here.

This guest post is from Devin Smith, an Ambassador at Science Club for Girls.

After 14 years of decline, there has been a recent upward trend in youth crime rates nationally, which has been attributed to a decrease in federal spending on crime prevention efforts targeted at youth. The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.  on school days are the peak times for youth to commit crime; be in or cause car crashes; and be victims of crime and use drugs (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2002).

Many young and first time offenders act out in delinquent and criminal ways because they are receiving inadequate support for social, mental, academic or emotional problems, and do not fully understand the consequences of their actions (Grisso, 1996). Youth delinquents are more likely to continue to commit crimes and are two to three times more likely to eventually become serious, violent and chronic offenders (Us. Det. Of JJDP, 2003).

Clearly, preventative measures need to be taken early to provide young people the tools and support they need to live healthy and productive lives, and prevent behaviors that can turn them into life-long criminals.

Young people themselves are requesting services that provide them an alternative to delinquency and crime. According to the Alliance for Youth, two out of three young people nationwide wish there were more places they could hang out where they could feel safe and have fun (The Alliance for Youth, 2006). Afterschool programs, like mentoring,  provide safe, fun spaces and help reduce crime rates over time by pairing youth with positive role models that provide supportive and meaningful interactions where they can play, do homework or build job-readiness skills (Jucovy, 2000), which both removes them from immediate situations that are potentially dangerous, and prepares them for further educational and career opportunities. Quality mentoring programs across Massachusetts have utilized mentors to help build resume writing and interview skills, teach young people how to prevent and defuse violent situations, and practice good study habits, all in an effort to prevent and reduce youth crime (Governor’s Anti-Crime Council Urban Violence Subcommittee, 2008).

Sources:

America’s Promise, The Alliance for Youth. (2006). A report from America’s Promise Alliance: every child every promise, turning failure into action

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York. (2002). New York’s after-school choice: The prime time for juvenile crime or youth enrichment and achievement

Grisso, T. 1996. Society’s retributive re- sponse to juvenile violence: A develop- mental perspective. Law and Human Behavior 20(3):229–247.

Linda Jucovy, The ABC’s of School-Based Mentoring, The National Mentoring Center (September, 2000)

Urban Violence in the Commonwealth: Prevention, Intervention and Rehabilitation , Governor’s Anti-Crime Council Urban Violence Subcommittee (November, 2008)

U. S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (May 2003), Child Delinquency: Early Intervention and Prevention