MentorCares 2003 Press Release
The LeadershipCares Foundation10181 Nightingale Street
Gaithersburg MD 20882
Ron Yudd (301) 540-5791
www.leadershipcares.org
ron@leadershipcares.org
SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2003
The MentorCares™ conference and subsequent year long program is the result of a partnership formed by The LeadershipCares Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington-Prince George’s County Branches and Northwestern High School. This partnership has been created to establish MentorCares™ programs throughout the Washington D.C. area.The goal of the partnership is to provide training to fortify today’s youth and adults with marketable skills to take into the workplace and provide a training ground to nurture self-confidence, personal responsibility and the value of service to others. A detailed fact sheet on the overall program can be found below.
The conference kicked off as the team (caring adult, 12th grader and 9th grader) met each other and participated in a teambuilding icebreaker. The opening speaker, Mr. Art Jackson, of Eagles Nest Performance inspired the audience and reminded all participants that greatness lies within each of them and is just waiting to be released!
Other inspiring speakers included Mr. Darius Stanton of Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, Ms. Phyllis Cureton of Fannie Mae Inc. and Ms. Donna Maria Coles Johnson Attorney at Law. The assistant to the Ambassador from Sierra Leone spoke in the afternoon on the leadership skills necessary in today’s changing and challenging world.
The teams of young people performed role-plays demonstrating their knowledge of leadership skills and also explored techniques for effective mentoring. All of the day’s activities were geared to provide practical skills to help students get a solid jump on success as they began their school year.
At a luncheon ceremony Mr. Darlene Bruton and Ms. Tracey Walls of Northwestern High School were honored for their vision and work on the MentorCares partnership. The conference attendees were entertained during the luncheon by a very talented jazz group from Northwestern High School led by Musical Director, Mr. Townes.The following is a sample of the comments made by participating Northwestern students:
Cyril Aikins-“The one thing I will definitely take back with me is the importance and true meaning of leadership skills. I had no idea of what the true meaning was until coming here.”
Nelise Jeffrey-“Today’s program was very fulfilling and uplifting. It taught me to persevere and go after my dreams.”
Ashley Smith-“Today’s program was phenomenal. I learned so much that will help and nurture my relationship with my mentor and also will aid me in my life and future.”
Students were presented certificates of completion at the end of the conference and made plans to meet as individual teams over the coming school year. Students and their adult coaches also had an opportunity to sign up to serve as leaders for upcoming special events focused on literacy and hunger relief.
MentorCares™ Youth-to-Youth Mentoring-Fact Sheet
The program trains high school students in effective mentoring, coaching and leadership skills. High school juniors and seniors use these acquired skills when they begin to mentor an incoming 9th grader that is assigned to them by the MentorCares™ coordinator. The goals of the program are:- To positively affect the life of the 9th graders and set them up for success as they begin their high school careers.
- To provide the juniors and seniors with the appropriate mentoring, leadership and life skills that will be useful throughout their personal and professional lives.
- To provide training to fortify today’s youth and adults with marketable skills to take into the workplace and provide a training ground to nurture self-confidence, personal responsibility and the value of service to others.
- To teach the concept of volunteerism by having the younger students give back as mentors when they reach their junior and/or senior year.
The program is focused on the one-to-one relationship between the mentor and their mentee. The mentor agrees to meet with his/her mentee for a minimum of 2 hours per month. He/she also agrees to attend annual events centered on the four MentorCares™ themes. The interactive and "fun based" annual events are aligned with the following themes:
- Building Leadership Skills
- Building Life Skills
- Exploring Career Opportunities
- Celebrating Volunteerism
A caring adult is assigned to each pair of young people to assist, guide and nurture the relationship. The adult works with the pair to teach and coach them on the 12 leadership skills and the 12 life skills. Adults receive mentor training that can also be used to help them become more effective supervisors and managers in their workplace. The adults offer guidance in career exploration, career development and "hands on" leadership skills as they work with the young people planning and organizing the annual events.
Expectations and Commitment:
Young People (9th Grader/Juniors and Seniors):
- Attendance at annual One-Day Leadership Camp
- Meet as a team for two hours per month with their adult coach
- Participation in three of the four annual events
Caring Adult:
- Attendance at official orientation and training session
- Attendance and participation at annual One-Day Leadership Camp
- Meet two hours per month with their assigned pair of young people
- Participation in three of the four annual events
