Mark your calendars for our annual Mentor Conference to be held later this academic year. On Jan 18th, 2013, we plan to "Unlock Youth Potential through Mentoring," and would love to see you there. 

It's that time of the year again! UW-Parkside's program, Mentor Kenosha&Racine is looking to recruit mentors for the upcoming year. Whether you're a new mentor, want to reconnect with a mentee, or have a friend who's interested in mentoring, now is the time to jump on board and make a difference. Come change a young person's life.

Meet Paris Echoles, the Cooridator for Student Engagement and Equity for the Kenosha Unified School District. As someone who is connected with the students and deeply involved with their success, he is very excited to work with local mentors and MKR. Here's what he has to say:

You're the KUSD Coordinator for Student Engagement and Equity. What would you describe as the main responsibilities of your position?

Being in the Office of Student Engagement and Equity, my responsibilities include, but are not limited the following: working on initiatives and programs that are involved in providing students the opportunities to extend academic learning inside and outside of the classroom, bringing in services and individuals during the school day to enhance student academic achievement, build relationships between students within KUSD and caring individuals in our community. Some of the other responsibilities I have include working to oversee the Attendance Improvement Means Success (AIMS) office and district-wide middle school and high school mentoring.

Your favorite part of the position?

Essentially, it is working with kids and knowing that I'm able to be there to help these students get what they need to feel a part of their school environment in a positive way. A large part of my work is overseeing the CLC's (21st Century Community Learning Centers). Obviously, you have the mentoring piece, all of the volunteers working with kids in various levels throughout the district, providing them with the services and the support that they need to succeed. Because of my personal background, I am able to work with many students who are growing up facing similar trials and tribulations I encountered as a child. I feel delighted to work with them and help them get to a place in their lives where they feel they are accomplished individuals academically, socially, and emotionally.

Click here for the rest of Paris' interview!

Mentor Kenosha & Racine is launching its new Mentoring Certificate course this fall on October 5th! This is a great chance to not only learn about effective mentoring, but to recieve accreditation through UW-Parkside as well!      

Hello. I'm very excited to join the Mentor KR team as both a student assistant and editor of the newsletter. Please stay tuned as we keep you up to date on all of the great things happening with Mentor KR. 

How did you hear about this position and Mentor KR?

I sought out this job. Having previously worked with a group called Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), I found that I really enjoy this kind of work. It's great to see the lives of youth changed through mentoring, and I'm excited to be on the administrative end of that.

What do you look forward to most about working with MKR?

Before, I was on the mentoring side, working "in the field," directly with youth and inspiring them. Now, here I get to see and be a part of how those mentoring programs are built up. 

What do you hope to gain from working here?

As a senior, I'll be approaching graduation this year. Educational Outreach, especially in the arts, is a very inspiring subject to me. I hope the skills and knowledge I gain through this kind of work here can carry over to that. I think mentoring can make a huge impact on the empowerment of youth, and I very much want to be a leader in that initiative. 

Here's a great link for mentors to find useful tools for mentoring! Use this resource as a tool to improve your skills in developing healthy relationships with your mentees. You have to check this out!