United Youth Mentor Link

United Youth Mentor Link
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders

Education is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits,
but too many children and parents in our community do not have the basic literacy and
math skills that are necessary to succeed in school and eventually obtain employment.

PROBLEM
50% of Trenton Central High School students do not graduate on time, and 40% drop out by their sophomore year.

Why?

·         Academic challenges from being below grade level in reading and math

·         Lack of family and social supports in their community, including adult mentors and role models

·         Influence of gangs that provide a sense of belonging and safety

·         Insufficient school resources and supports

·         Poor self-esteem, low self-confidence, lack of positive role models

·         Feeling that they have no future, so why stay in school

How do we improve the opportunities for youth to stay in school, to become work-ready, and to develop into mature, productive adults with a future?

Solution
There is a nationally recognized, evidence-based best practice that works in schools called mentoring, which matches at-risk freshmen with junior students and adult mentors. But one agency cannot do it alone. By combining agencies into initiatives that target this drop-out problem together, we integrate and coordinate services to focus resources on producing specific results.

Initiative Partners:

·         Big Brothers Big Sisters – creates mentoring matches of students

·         Princeton Center for Leadership Training – trains student mentors

·         Princeton Blairstown Center – provides retreats to boost self-confidence and build relationships

·         Leadership Trenton – recruits adult mentors

·         Trenton Central High School – provides space, structure and support

·         UWGMC- provides leadership, accountability and funding

Results Over the First Two Years

·         Only one freshman out of the 78 mentees dropped out of school

·         52 student matches lasted the full two years

·         21 mentees became mentors in their junior year

·         90% of the upper class mentors graduated on time

·         Over 90% of the students reported increased self-confidence and hope for their future success beyond school

·         Trenton Central High School has accepted Mentor Link as an after-school program and integrated it into the school’s structure

 
Why Invest in United Youth Mentor Link?

·         Student Benefit: Children with mentors are less likely to skip school than those without mentors. They achieve increased self-confidence, better school performance and a brighter future with more opportunities.

·         Employees Benefit: Employees who volunteer through their workplace report more positive attitudes toward their employer and their co-workers. Further, those who volunteer are more positive about their own physical and emotional health than non-volunteers.

·         Companies Benefit: Top-level executives recognize the bottom-line value of corporate citizenship because it enhances a company’s reputation and image, is valued by customers and helps recruit and retain employees.

·         Community Benefits: Decreasing the number of high school dropouts has significant economic benefits. Workers with at least a high school diploma earn more throughout their lives than those who drop out.  Moreover, well-prepared high school graduates continue their education, serve in the military and develop workplace skills that strengthen our economy and society.