Check out this great write-up about PA eMentoring’s proven positive impact on self-esteem from the Pittsburgh Regional Compact Quarterly!

This year, as part of its relationship with Highmark Healthy High Five, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation, Pittsburgh Regional Compact Member Smart Futures participated in a data collection and analysis process to measure the affects of online career mentoring on the self esteem of high school-aged youths.  The results are positive and summarized below:

Data obtained from the pre- and post-self esteem surveys from 284 program participants during the 2009-10 academic year supported that the PA eMentoring program positively increased the self esteem of student participants. The results showed statistically significant improvements in self-esteem for students who completed the PA eMentoring program, as measured by a pre – and post-program self-esteem survey.  Additional data collected support that students participating in PA eMentoring have a better understanding of their own interests, preferences, and aptitudes, as well as a broader awareness of how these match to the work world and a better awareness and broader, more realistic understanding of post secondary opportunities in college and careers.

“These results support our belief in the positive impact having a realistic and appropriate college and career focus can have on young people at a critical time of their lives.  We thank the Highmark Foundation, for encouraging us to measure this impact on self esteem.  We also thank our other corporate sponsors who supported this program with both employees and dollars. They include BNY Mellon, NexTier Bank, Duquesne Light, UPMC and American Eagle Outfitters.  Finally, we thank our foundation supporters who are helping Smart Futures to introduce this program here in southwestern Pennsylvania. These sponsors include the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Buhl Foundation, the Grable Foundation and the Benedum Foundation (via IU1),” said Smart Futures Executive Director David J. Mosey.

Read the complete report
Laura Fisher – Publisher | Philip Cynar – Editor

The Pittsburgh Regional Compact is an employer-driven initiative collaboratively
sponsored by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, business
leaders, educators, students, educational institutions and workforce development
organizations across the 10-county Pittsburgh region.