As a nonprofit organization more than five and a half years into our effort to build an effective Leadership Academy focused on mentorship for male youth in Baltimore City, we can tell you that Mentors are hard to come by. Throughout the United States, there is a “mentoring gap” where 1 in 3 people will reach the age of 19 without ever having a mentor. We believe that youth leaders need Mentors, and we are on a mission to recruit community leaders to join our mentorship project. Keep scrolling to learn how you can apply to become an I AM MENtality Mentor!
Thanks to a lot of community love and the contributions of individuals who believe in our year-long development programs for male youth, I AM MENtality mentorship has been able to withstand the test of the COVID times. Though we had to scale back our in-person group sessions, we have facilitated over 800 hours of virtual sessions since the start of the pandemic, and we are spending 80% of our time engaging youth leaders in activities that support their health & wellness. Watch this video to learn more about our health & wellness initiative for male youth.
The reality is that most youths in Baltimore and inner cities across the nation are growing up in single-parent households, including over 90% of the youth males engaged in I AM MENtality programs. To help fill that void, our mentors build healthy relationships with our youth leaders and their families, leading them towards personal and academic success and away from poverty, gun violence, domestic violence, and the other ills of urban life.
The Value of Mentorship & Our Goals
We find that engaging youth males in our Leadership Academy with educated and experienced Mentors is transformational! The extra nurturing, encouragement, and time spent focusing on personal growth and development make the mentor/mentee relationship so impactful. This work relies on community leaders who are committed to the overall health of our city and who are willing to dedicate some of their time to building up our male youth.
Let’s take a look at some of the facts about the impact of mentorship according to MENTOR Maryland:
- Mentored youth are 55% more likely to be enrolled in college than those who do not have a mentor.
- Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a school day and 37% less likely to skip a class.
- Mentored youth are 46% less likely than peers to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
- Mentored youth are 81% more likely to report regularly participating in sports or extracurricular activities.
- Mentored youth are more than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.
- Mentored youth are 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.
These stats illustrate the motivation behind our goal to hire more Mentors who will push our youth leaders to reach their full potential. In the video below, meet Mr. Gary Franklin, an active I AM MENtality Mentor who usually accompanies youth leaders on weekly trips to Guardian Baltimore for jiu-jitsu practice and adventures at Earth Treks, Outward Bound and more.
Interested In Becoming A Mentor?
As an I AM MENtality mentor, you are never alone. There is a team of leaders with whom to collaborate. We pride ourselves on building solid relationships with partners in our community [insert hyperlink to partners on website] who also work to support a better Baltimore through youth development. Our Mentors are currently leading sessions that focus on leadership development, workforce development, financial literacy and health & wellness.
Additionally, you can expect to have fun when you’re on our team! Trips with mentees are enjoyable for all of us. This year, despite the pandemic, we have safely visited Earth Treks, Outward Bound, Top Golf, Orioles baseball games and the first Ravens home football game.
If you are interested in joining the team as a Mentor, please review the full position description here. Think you or someone you know is a good fit for the position? Join us and help male youth leaders make it to the next level in their academic achievements and personal development. Please send resumés to info@iammentality.com.