About E-Mentoring
URBAN YOUTH RACING SCHOOL & UNITED WAY RECEIVE KNIGHT FOUNDATION SUPPORT TO LAUNCH EFFORT
WHAT IT TAKES E-MENTORING PROGRAM WILL HELP IMPROVE THE LIVES OF BLACK BOYS
An expansion of the Urban Youth Racing School's What It Takes program, the e-mentoring effort aims to span the social networking, geographic and generational divide between mentors and mentees, while encouraging meaningful relationships. In particular, the program will focus on improving the boys' emotional well-being, career awareness and attitudes towards school while helping black professional men become more involved in bettering their communities.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes informed and engaged communities, is funding the effort with a $490,000 grant.
Starting on November 15, 2011, WIT is ready for you to register for our e-mentoring program to benefit a group of 200 9th grade, Black male students from Mastery Charter schools and other Philadelphia District schools. WIT E-Mentoring, powered by a web-based mentoring platform created by icouldbe.org, will engage mentors and mentees in structured activities focused on online safety, time management and study skills, internet literacy, building work experience, and explorations of different career paths.
This will be the first mentoring program in the Philadelphia region to employ technology to conduct web-based training, communication and engagement, particularly with a focus on the young African-American male population. The e-mentoring program will support caring, structured relationships through vehicles like email, chat rooms and computer conference systems, to connect mentors with their mentees across time and/or distance. In addition, the mentors and mentees will have in-person meetings to help cement relationships.
BECOME A MENTOR
Time Commitment: Minimum of one-hour per week, any day any time as your schedule allows.
Location: Virtual, via WIT - icouldbe.org's secure technology platform
Please spread the word and help us to recruit additional mentors by sharing this opportunity with your friends or networks. Help us to retain others to be a part of a team of successful African-American males providing critical mentoring and coaching support to encourage and motivate young men towards success.
What It Takes (WIT) is a national outreach initiative that connects highly successful minority entrepreneurs, scientists, professional athletes, businessmen, military and medical professionals with hundreds of African-American males at risk of dropping out of high school. The mission of the program is to engage and motivate students towards success in their academic and professional endeavors. WIT is building upon these connections by establishing an e-mentoring component to the program. E-mentoring is a caring, structured relationship focused on the needs of the mentored participants that uses technology to connect people across time and/or distance. It provides greater flexibility for the mentee and mentors, enabling even those with constrained schedules to give back in a very big way.
Mentor Qualifications
- Black males, age 21+
- Highly successful entrepreneur or professional
- Able to inspire students, through support and guidance, to focus on education so they can create meaningful goals for success
- Able to commit to structured, on-line, meaningful exchanges with their mentee a minimum of once per week for at least 9 months
- Able to participate in face-to-face contacts with their mentees at What It Takes Symposia (tentatively scheduled for December 2011
