Posts Tagged PA eMentoring

Getting Involved!

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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eMentoring proving highly effective in studies

It’s good to see continued momentum around evaluating the effectiveness of eMentoring vs. in person, face-to-face.

According to an Australian study referenced below:girl on computer

” E-mentoring has been found to be more convenient, more direct and better than face-to-face mentoring, according to a study. ‘E-mail-based communication is almost instant and helps overcome one of the major obstacles to traditional mentoring – participants finding a suitable time to meet,’ said Kim Rickard of Victoria University, who conducted the study.

www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/e-mentoring-highly-effective-study_10066925.html

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eMentoring and Pittsburgh Pirates

We at Smart Futures have been pretty busy! Last weekend, we went to a baseball game, Pittsburgh Pirates versus Kansas City Royals, in order to garner interest in our mentoring program, PA eMentoring. We met and talked to some very interesting people! One was an inventor who worked with glass products, one was a teacher in Pennsylvania, and one was an advocate for a local organization. It just goes to show – anyone can become an eMentor.

Some of our affiliates were present at the event as well.

bigbrotable corotable

Here are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and Coro Pittsburgh.

sftable

And here we are! The woman on the left is Romy Banks, our Outreach Director, and the woman on the right is Jean, our intern.

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A Plug for Coro Pittsburgh

Coro Pittsburgh

Thank you to Coro Pittsburgh for being a big supporter of PA eMentoring!  Coro trains civic leaders for a diverse number of positions and is a boon to our community.

Check out the information on their upcoming Fall Leadership Programs!

Women in Leadership (WIL): This is a 12-week, part time experiential program for women interested in improving their leadership skills in the professional world through group projects, personal mentoring, and interviews with influential leaders. Apply by July 31.

Leaders in Learning (LIL): This is a 10-week, part time experiential program dedicated to anyone with a vested interest in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Those who are interested in creating opportunities for regional transformation in education should apply by July 22.

Running for Public Office (RPO) : This is a 12-week, part time experiential program for those interested in strengthening citizen participation in public elections. Participants will learn how to get involved in electoral campaigns or run for public office by developing mock campaigns. Apply by August 10.

Coro Pittsburgh’s LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON SERIES concludes July 7, 2009 at Mallorca with Dr. Linda Lane, Deputy Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Have lunch with the region’s key leaders, network with your peers, and learn how to be involved in your community!

For more information on this and other programs visit the Coro site, or contact Misti McKeehen at mmckeehen@coropittsburgh.org or 412.258.2676.

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PA eMentoring Featured by Coro Pittsburgh

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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eMentoring hits Pop City

Pop City, a weekly e-magazine that offers an alternative view on Pittsburgh, has recently published a short piece on us. Check it out here!

We have already received many mentor sign-ups from this.

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PA eMentoring’s 2008-9 Rollout A Success

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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We have a blog!

That’s right.  Smart Futures has finally joined the blogosphere and we couldn’t be more excited about it.  Through this blog we hope to inform our readers on the latest Smart Futures’ news and help them keep tabs on what’s going on in the worlds of education and workforce.

As you may or may not know, Smart Futures is a non-profit organization based in downtown Pittsburgh.  We specialize in developing web-based, career education resources for schools and organizations across Pennsylvania.  Our three programs Keys2Work, My Career Journey, and PA eMentoring are used by young people all over the state.  Through our programs these youth are provided with:

–Online career exploration and career plans
–Online, career-based skill improvement with a chance to earn a National Career Readiness CertificateTM (issued by ACT, Inc.)
–Online career mentors

We’re certainly busy here at Smart Futures and can’t wait to share the great things we’re doing on our blog.  Of course, we’d love to hear from you as well, so feel free to leave us comments at any time.  You can also shoot us a line through the “Contact Us” page.  Your questions and feedback are valuable to us as we begin our blogging adventure.

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