Mentoring Messenge 
 

 

April 2013
 
   
Mentor Kenosha & Racine Staff:













Crista Kruse
Manager
Mentor Kenosha & Racine
(262) 595-2604



Julio Escobedo
Research & Evaluation
(262) 595-2620


david

David Power
RUSD Mentoring Program
(262) 939-1671
Visit David's blog 


 









 
Paris Ecoles
KUSD Student Engagement and Equity Coordinator
(262) 359-6237

  

Vanessa Greco
Program Associate, Adventures in Lifelong Learning/ Cont. Ed
(262) 595-2793
greco@uwp.edu

 

 

  
 












Michael Pfeiffer
Program Assist, Newsletter Editor 

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Greetings Mentoring Friends!

Spring is in the air (finally!) We bet your mentees are eager to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. But while they do that, we are continually busy here at Mentor KR with all of the exciting opportunities coming your way!

 

Be sure to sign up for the Bullying Conference coming up at the end of this month! There are a lot of great things scheduled, including a film showing and a really great keynote, Stan Davis, ready to share his experience with you. 

 

We're also in full support of The Boys and Girls Club of Kenosha and their Be Above the Influence campaign! Read the article below for more information and see how you can help too!

 

With the end of the school year fast approaching, most of your mentees are in the challenging final stretch. Think creatively to see what you can do to make sure that the end of their school year is a successful one! Perhaps learning games, or adding a fun twist to homework sessions will enure that your mentee has a great report card at the end of the year.


Bullying Conference
Registration is now open!

Mentor KR is partnering with Peace Learning Circles to host a mini-conference on April 26, 2013: Bullying Solutions: Creating a Culture of Acceptance. This conference is for everyone! All mentors, mentoring program staff, educators, students, and all youth development professionals are invited to come together and uncover solutions that will not only change the lives of a young person, but can also greatly impact the community.  

 

The conference will be held on April 26th, beginning with a special FREE showing of the movie "Bully" in the UW-Parkside Cinema at 1:00pm, followed by an expert panel from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to engage in an open discussion with participants. After the movie and discussion, a mini-conference is planned from 3:30pm to 7:00pm featuring keynote Stan Davis (read below) and breakout sessions with panel speakers. Click here for more information. 

 

Click here to register!

 

For a more information on "Bully," the movie being presented, click here!

 

Read all about our expert keynote, Stan Davis, who has over 40 years of experience as an anti-bullying advocate! Click here to read Stan's bio.

 

 

 

 

 
"Be Above the Influence" Project 
  Be Influential!
 
Madeline Carrera and Daphne Ursu are participants in the Leadership Kenosha Class of 2013. They are working with Guida Brown of the Hope Council on an Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse project to advocate for alcohol and other drug awareness among youth in the community. The group will bring a "Be Above the Influence" project, that includes a contest for youth to participate, to mentors in the Kenosha and Racine areas. There will be a kick off day announced soon, and Mentors will be provided with an "Above The Influence" 2013 activities toolkit that will help them walk mentees through the project. The project will ask local students to complete a "Be it" poster to submit into a contest that will be judged by Leadership Kenosha students. The winner will be published in the Kenosha News and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's website. The goal is that this activity will empower middle school age students to "be" the positive influence by identifying their own personal brand and creating a slogan that best describes them. Through the activity, mentees will develop an awareness of how they want themselves to be perceived and learn how their behavior can impact others. It allows for personal reflection of why staying "above the influence" is important and how they can make smart choices. The group plans to display the personal slogans throughout Kenosha County. All 5th through 8th grade students can participate in this project. Call Michael with any questions at 595-3340. 
 
-Daphne Ursu
 
If you would like to recieve more information about this project, or to get started by signing up for a toolkit and supplies, email Mentor KR at mentorkr@uwp.edu. Stay tuned, a website with full details regarding the project, to be launched in mid-March!
 
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club and their Be Above the Influence campaign, click here!
New Mentoring Program in the Works!

Behind the scenes at Mentor KR, we're in the throws of creating an exciting new youth mentoring program that focuses on getting college students out into the community to mentor youth. After a successful Volunteer Fair at UW-Parkside, numerous students have expressed interest in youth mentoring. The Men of Excellence group on-campus is also currently preparing to mentor as a group with the Godfather's Mentoring Program in Racine.

 

With so many students ready to mentor and make a difference, Mentor KR is organizing a unique mentoring program run by students at UW-Parkside. Inspired by the DREAM village mentoring model, Mentor KR is organizing a group mentoring cohort where students gather as an ensemble to collectively mentor youth in our community. This is a great model for a program because college students benefit just as much as the kids do, and there is a lot of power in working together to make a difference in a child's life.

 

We're currently in the planning phase of this exciting new project, and will launch it full swing in the Fall 2013 semester. If you or someone you know is a college student who would love to learn more about this opportunity, don't hesitate to contact our program assistant, Michael Pfeiffer, at pfeif013@rangers.uwp.edu. 

 
 Meet Delonte Carter:
Champion of our New Mentoring Cohort

Delonte Carter has been a very active member in the UW-Parkside community since his freshman year. Now, he serves as the President for the Men of Excellence, an on-campus organization dedicated to the success of young males in our community. I've had the pleasure of sitting down with Delonte and talking about the new plans in the works to have Men of Excellence reach out to young males in the community. Check out what he has to say!

 

1. For starters, what is the Men of Excellence?

 

Men of Excellence is an organization that is solely based empowered males and male leadership. Just making men, no matter their background or where they came from, but making sure that, through college, they'll get the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful. A lot of times, from what I noticed growing up, males seem more likely to be targeted and have a run-in with the law. Even with those kinds of men, we try to turn things around and give them the chance to succeed.

 

2. What defines a "Man of Excellence?"

 

Someone who is still striving for success and doesn't let obstacles get in the way. We all go through a lot of difficult things, but it's someone who can face those obstacles and just say "it happened, and now I have to do something different," that makes someone "excellent." As long as you're on the right path and trying to do better, excellence will always be that outcome. We all do that in our organization, and we all do it together.

Click here to read more on Delonte's interview!  

 

Thank you Delonte and the Men of Excellence, for being such an inspiration. We can't wait to support you as this becomes a fully realized endeavor!

 
Star Mentors: Mentor Highlights
Ruth Johnson

 We're always trying to put great mentors in the spotlight.  Check out our Star Mentor for April

 

Ruth Johnson is a mentor with RUSD and has developed a great friendship with her mentee, Mart'a. The two have become so close that they don't want the school year to end. They're planning on spending the summer together, outside of RUSD. Here's a letter that Ruth wrote to David Power, the Coordinator for RUSD's Mentoring Program:

 

Hi David,


I was surprised to see the timetable for mentoring. How can we be talking about the end of school already. I feel like Mart'a and I have just started!

I am planning to meet with Mart'a throughout the summer. I just talked with his mother about Mart'a and I having a community garden plot at the 6th St and Marquette St. location. With Mart'a's home near Jefferson School, the garden is in the neighborhood. I will be talking with Mart'a about this tomorrow but I wanted to touch base with his mother first. I am not much of a gardener but I have several friends (both retired teachers) who are willing to help. I will finance the plot and the supplies we need.

I also talked with Ms Walker about sponsoring Mart'a for a week in August at River Bend Summer Camp. My husband and I will take care of Mart'a's registration and daily transportation for the week of camp. Tomorrow I will talk with Mart'a about this, too. (My March monthly report tells of our "adventures" at River Bend over Spring Break. I have also sent you some pictures from this event.)

I am going under the assumption that there isn't an problem with a mentor doing these activities. If there is, please advise me. I do know that you have not received a transportation permission from me. Ms Walker completed it. Ms Woida, Mart'a's teacher received it BUT with all the snow interference the form is missing at McKinley. If it is not located by tomorrow, we will start over!

Thank you.
Ruth Bradford-Johnson

 

Thank you, Ruth, for being an inspiration.

 
Challenge Accepted!
A Special Request from the White House
First Lady, Michelle Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) have sparked a new challenge to catapult corporations in the world of mentoring! Companies are being encouraged to engage in the Corporate Mentoring Challenge, where they join forces with mentoring programs, or create their own.
 
Does your company have a strong mentoring program? Would you like to be recognized at the National Mentoring Summit for your mentoring achievements? Simply write two essays about your mentoring program or partnership and send it in for your chance to be recognized! Click here to find instructions.
 
Great Summer Work!
Summer Camps and Team Leaders 
 
Do you want some exciting plans for the summer? Perhaps you're a school-based mentor and don't get to see your mentee during break. Well, here are some great opportunities for summer camps and leadership positions near you! 
  
For a list of Summer Service-Learning Camps, click here!
 
To learn more about being a Team Leader for these camps, click here!
  
For the description for the Youth Volunteer Corps Team Leader position, click here!
 
EXTRA!!! Read All About It!
Mentoring Resources

Here are some great links for mentors to find useful tools for mentoring! Use these resources to improve your skills in developing healthy relationships with your mentees. And it's totally free! You have to check this out!

 

Click here!  Click here! Click here! 

 

 

 

 Click here! 

 

 

 

    

 

 
This is also a FREE online course for mentoring. It's an interactive website that gives information from real mentors. Through this course you will gain self-confidence in handling difficult situations, bonding with your mentee and create a stronger relationship. Click the link below to get started!

  Click here to get started!

And yet another great resources, called Step-It-Up-2-Thrive. Created by the Thrive Foundation for Youth, it's all about "Sparks," those secret strenghts in your mentee that are waiting to be discovered. Read up so you can find out how to discover the hidden potential in the youth you're mentoring!

Click here! 

Thanks to our supporting partners:

  

Racine County Workforce Development Center

United Way logo

OJJDP Logo              

Be sure to check us out here as well!

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