Mentor Independence Region

Our friends at Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation are hosting this amazing event to put youth voice front and center! Register today! #PAYouthTownHall #MentoringAmplifies

WE ARE HIRING! Join our team! http://ow.ly/YbOL50EDChn

We are excited and proud to be working with the The School District of Philadelphia to expand their mentorship program, which pairs school police officers with middle school students. We are training volunteer school safety officers are on de-escalation and trauma-informed dialogues. Looking forward to great things through this program. #MentoringAmplifies ... https://whyy.org//philly-school-district-expands-mentorsh/

Young people are the future, but they’re also the leaders of today. They have so much to share & it’s our job to listen to their ideas, support their passions, & amplify their work. April is #YouthVoice Month, and we ask you to join us in doing just that at: www.mentoring.org/youth-voice #MentoringAmplifies

Today, we celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth, by featuring our Executive Director, Abigail Ellis. Abigail has worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence for nearly 18 years and is an integral part of the executive leadership team. For the last 6 years, she has served as Executive Director of MENTOR Independence Region, with a goal of strengthening the mentoring field in Eastern Pennsylvania. We asked Abigail what changes she has seen for individuals who identify as women/mothers in the workplace, what challenges they faced during the pandemic, and what challenges they continue to face. Check out her answer! Celebrate women every day!

Thanks to Starbucks Partners and The @Starbucks Foundation for recognizing how we are creating more inclusive communities and promoting racial equity by working directly with mentoring programs and supportive, caring adults to build the quality of mentoring in our region. Shout out to Shannon Koval, our Starbucks liason, for nominating us for this grant!

Join us and raise up the youth voice!

We are wrapping up our grant year, and we want to celebrate the programs that accessed our support and strengthened their offerings! Since last October, we have provided technical assistance to 16 organizations including West Philadelphia Promise Corps, Starfinder Foundation, City Year, Community Angel Foundation, RSVP, Inc. and Valley Youth House. Much of the work we did this spring/summer has been assisting organizations in adapting to virtual programming. We helped a new ...program launch for Penn Dental School mentors, a partnership with the Netter Center and West Philadelphia High School. We helped Valley Youth House strengthen their onboarding and training materials for mentors and mentees. We helped Mentors for Berks Youth strengthen their mentor training and their ability to be more trauma-informed as they pivot their services towards serving foster youth. We have provided 500+ hours of consultation that these programs can access for free. We are looking forward to serving even more programs in the last few months of 2020 and next year! http://ow.ly/aghf50BxWjJ

Today many students and families face even greater challenges to education and may need a higher level of support. Check out this playbook from Attendance Works that covers approaches to tackle chronic absenteeism during the COVID-19 era. https://bit.ly/32nUPQK #MentorIRL

Our young people need high quality mentors to support them in coping with these challenging times, and evidence shows that adults who support young people through their everyday interactions and relationships can have a more positive impact when they receive high quality training. With the generous support of #TheWawaFoundation, we were able to offer FREE virtual training in July and August to 35 mentors and everyday adults across our regionand beyondto help them develop t...he skills needed to support youth in building resiliency to cope with the effects of trauma. Thank you to the great folks at The Wawa Foundation for these opportunities that allow mentors to develop evidence-based practices to support our youth in this time of great need! www.thewawafoundation.org

As young people navigate these times, it’s important we provide the social & emotional support they need to process & heal. This resource highlights the effects COVID-19 has on youth & what we can learn from it. https://bit.ly/3lfRETK @AmericasPromise #MentorIRL #BackToSchool

"Mentors possess the ability to make a profound difference in the life of our youth, as well as strengthening communities" - Courtney R. Johnson, Newark Public Schools. Check out the full webinar at https://www.mentoring.org/summer-webinar-series/ #MentorIRL #BackToSchool

"You have the resources they need, you are the person that they need to become successful." @DrQuentinJLee encourages you to become a mentor this #BackToSchool season! Visit http://bit.ly/BTS-MENTOR20 to sign up #MentorIRL

A strong relationship with a mentor encourages young people to set higher goals for themselves. Youth with a mentor are more likely to aspire to attend college than those without one. Be the extra encouragement for a student this year. Visit http://bit.ly/BTS-MENTOR20 #MentorIRL

Giving back can be just as impactful for the mentor as it is for the mentee helping a young person grow into the greatest version of themselves is inspiring & rewarding. See stories of the mentoring effect at http://bit.ly/BTS-MENTOR20 #MentorIRL #BackToSchool

This year with classrooms having to take non-traditional approaches, students may become more discouraged & apt to skip days or classes. A mentor can be the extra push they need to succeed in these challenging circumstances. Learn more at http://bit.ly/BTS-MENTOR20 #MentorIRL

Happy Labor Day! Take a moment to reflect and thank someone who has worked incredibly hard to make a difference in your life. #MentorIRL

Going back to school will be different this year & we need to come together to help youth navigate these challenging times. Over 9 million youth are still looking for a mentor. You can help change that. Visit http://bit.ly/BTS-MENTOR20 to become a mentor this school year #MentorIRL

We are so grateful for #TheWawaFoundation for generously funding our upcoming virtual training sessions! From the global pandemic to police brutality, our young people are facing serious challenges like food and housing insecurity, the loss of loved ones, and the effects of community violence and trauma. While much-needed change at the systemic level will take time, young people need mentors to support them in coping and developing resiliency now. Evidence shows that when mentors receive high-quality training, their mentoring relationships are more likely to have a positive impact on young people. Our 10/21 Trauma-Informed Mentoring training is full, but there’s still room in our upcoming 9/15 Mentoring Moments training, which is for everyday adults and mentors! Join us: https://sept2020mentoringmoments.eventbrite.com