Smart Futures

Innovative career education programs for Pennsylvania's education community

Posts Tagged eMentoring

Getting Involved!

Apr 8

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Sure the usual food drive, clothing and monetary donations are a great way to give back to the community. But what if there was some way that you could give back to the community while simultaneously molding the future of our society?

Look no further! PA eMentoring enables companies to give back to their communities by mentoring high school students from around the area. PA eMenotoring is an innovative and constructive way to benefit the community. Make your mark by getting involved with the mentor program by guiding students through interactive activities and sending encouraging messages and advice that will help them plan their future! Success is not only determined by what you have done for yourself, but also by what you have done for others.

This generation is our future and this is your chance to make a difference and leave your mark on the future of our society. The generation which is ready to embark on their future is sometimes referred to as the “lost generation.” PA eMentoring is one way that your company can help find this “lost generation” and help guide them with career goals in order to brighten their futures.

It only takes 20 minutes a week to make a difference in a student’s life. We encourage you to give back to the community and help this generation make their futures bright!

“Being closely tied to your community can give you a significant sense of yourself.”
Quote from a current PA eMentor

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School-Based Mentoring; Quick Facts from the Mentoring Partnership

Aug 18

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In school mentoring has shown to have positive impact on kids

In school mentoring has shown to have positive impact on kids

A recent research project conducted by The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania uncovered that the number of schools in our region that have a mentoring program is nearly half compared to the national average. (For more details on this research, go to: http://www.mentoringpittsburgh.org/what-ismentoring_research.aspx)

Specific impacts of mentoring documented by research include:

  • Mentored youth feel greater competence in completing their schoolwork higher levels of classroom engagement and higher grades.
  • School-based mentoring enhances connectedness to schools, peers and society youth have more positive attitudes toward school and teachers.
  • Mentored youth experience improvements in parental relationships and their sense of self-worth.
  • Both one-to-one mentoring and group mentoring result in better school attendance for mentored youth.

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PA eMentoring Featured by Coro Pittsburgh

Jun 15

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Coro Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization looking to advance effective leaders who are committed to civic engagement, has posted a piece about our eMentoring program on their blog! Here is a short segment from the article, written by Allison Quinn.

The choices I was up against, like choosing a profession, looked so ominous because I didn’t know how to face them. After talking to someone who had experience with these types of decisions, I felt more capable and up to the challenge to deal with future professional choices intelligently. That is why eMentoring is such a great program, because the program allows adults to mentor high school students in an intimidating and pivotal time in their lives, and help them tackle the future with confidence and intelligence.

Read the rest of the article here.

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PA eMentoring’s 2008-9 Rollout A Success

Apr 1

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As many of you are aware, during this 2008-9 academic year Smart Futures piloted the rollout of a “souped up” version of our PA eMentoring program, an online college and career mentoring program for high school students that has the potential to engage large numbers of employers, high schools, and community based organizations in an easy, fun process that yields personalized College and Career Plans for 500 participating mentees.

Central to the project’s success is the adaptation of a 10-module curriculum, aligned to the PA Academic Standards for Career Education and Work, that guides the communication between mentor and mentee, as well as technology upgrades that allow for sophisticated program monitoring and built-in program evaluation.

Key partners in the project include 27 schools districts/schools including Pittsburgh Public Schools, 200 employers including UPMC, American Eagle, and Highmark, and intermediaries the Pittsburgh Regional Compact and the Mentoring Partnership. A full list of participating schools and employers is available at www.pa-ementor.org. The pilot is being supported by local funders including Pittsburgh Foundation, Highmark Healthy High Five Foundation, Buhl Foundation, Grable Foundation, BYN Mellon, Benedum Foundation, Duquesne Light and NexTier.

The pilot has sought to address the core obstacles inherent with expanding traditional mentoring programs: Could enough mentors be recruited? Would mentors see the online relationship as meaningful? Could the mentoring program be implemented easily within a classroom? Would the curriculum enhance the quality and flow of communication? Would the mentee perceive their relationship with their mentor as valuable? Could the process be monitored and evaluated to assure quality outcomes?

I am happy to report that the 2008-9 PA eMentoring rollout is meeting its major goals. Over 500 students have been matched one-to-one with mentors and during a 10-12 week process they have together discussed core issues related to college and career success. The conversations and activities have lead to the creation of a personalized college and career plan for each mentee.
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