By Oscar the Grouch

Forty years ago yesterday was the debut of a little educational program, Sesame Street. After watching numerous episodes with my friends and family it has occurred to me that, at times, I was off-putting to so many people that came and visited me in my trashcan. With the help of a mentor, I believe I could have acquired the following skills:

Anger Management: Many times throughout the show I have lost my temper and raised my voice to my dear friends. Big Bird and Smiley did not deserve my rants and raves. If I had someone to help me break down my problems and issues then I think I could have appropriately responded to situations I found difficult.

Healthy Choices/Good Hygiene: No surprise here! If I had a mentor to help me better understand how trash and filth could affect the body then I wouldn’t have spent all those years in my can eating rotten and unhealthy foods.

Positive Outlook: In almost every episode my first reaction to a situation was negative and pessimistic. With the support of adult advisers, perhaps I could have seen how supportive, kind and understanding all my friends were of my moods and negative attitude.

Appreciation: With the support of a mentor, I could have understood the irony of Billy Joel and Marlee Matlin singing “Just the Way You Are” in this clip:

Some may say that I would not be Oscar the Grouch if I had attained all these skills but I think that, with the help of a mentor, I could have still found the balance between being appreciative, positive and healthy – and being Oscar.

You read that right! The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a new program to help community colleges mentor each other when it comes to successful student retention techniques – including mentoring. And it turns out that our very own Miami Dade College, which uses mentoring to connect biotechnology students with professionals in the field, is one of the colleges selected.

Read the whole story here.

Congratulations to Excel Academy in East Boston for ranking first in the state in English and fourth in the state in math for improving student performance over time. This is an amazing accomplishment! Read below to hear more about Excel and the new process in Massachusetts for determining student improvement.

Chelsea Record Excel Article

Just saw this incredibly innovative mentoring model in the Times today:

It’s called The Scholars’ Table and one of the things that makes it really unique is that participating students are hosted by local Fort Greene restaurants, each of which dedicates a special “Scholars’ Table” for the students’ exclusive use, twice a week, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Three students and one adult mentor comprise a Scholars’ Table and focus together on homework, other academic and cultural interests, as well as current and community events and social or personal issues important to the children in each individual group.

Seems like a great way to make students feel important, involve the community, and make mentoring visible to the entire neighborhood!

What do you think? And what kind of interesting mentoring models have you seen out there?

Look out Boston! The iMentor Interactive team will be presenting in conjunction with our amazing partner, Excel Academy, at the Providers’ Council Convention on Thursday, October 29. If you’re going to be there, look for our session at the Marriott Copley at 2:30, “Weaving Technology into Youth Mentoring Programs.” And if you can’t make it to the session but want to meet us in-person, drop us a line at imi@imentor.org.

See you in Beantown!

When I was a teacher, I remember that movies were my last-ditch student engagement strategy. If it was the day before a holiday and my students were full of sugar, sometimes only a film could keep them from bouncing off the walls!

But the movies weren’t always the most educational (think Yu-Gi-Oh! more than European History). Thus, I’m happy to recommend a great resource for teachers and youth programs that use media to engage kids with critical topics: Community Classroom by [ITVS]. You can find documentaries on a variety of issue areas (women’s empowerment, immigration, democracy), as well as lesson plans, discussion guides, and handouts.

Find out more here!

Our members are producing some great results with their mentoring programs around the county. In the Best of the Best Practices column we will highlight one of our members that have solved some of the most difficult challenges associated with running a mentoring program.

GEAR UP Wyandanch, part of the Mentoring Partnership of Long Island, is using this recruitment flier to increase their number of mentors. By specifically calling for e-Mentors the organization is already targeting a different volunteer base. If you are interested in being a mentor for GEAR UP Wyandanch please contact Frank Pomata, Asst. Director GEAR UP 516-570-6645 or Beacon006@aol.com.  Congratulations to GEAR UP for launching their program!

For more information please go to: http://www.dowling.edu/GearUp/

Download flier in PDF format.

Check out this inspiring story about a young Zambian woman whose life was touched by the 10,000 Women program.

A year ago, I was chosen as an IT scholar on a special training programme, part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative.

I had never used a computer. But as a result of that training, I am now the manager of a new IT centre in my district of Samfya.

We are a group of four women IT trainers who train young rural girls how to use computers.

We teach them how to type on the keyboard, how to print, how to do an internet search, how to download information, and how to use email.

Since the centre has opened we have had more than 500 people visit us.

By Christopher Columbus

After many lifetimes of contemplation, I’ve realized that I could have used a mentor at the height of my career to advise me in making some critical decisions. I have a found three key areas that I wish I was advised in throughout my time as a navigator, colonizer and explorer:

Conflict Resolution: A mentor would have helped me find peaceful solutions to some of the conflicts I encountered with indigenous and native peoples of the current countries of Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, United States of America, Guadalupe and others.

Empathy/Cross-Cultural Understanding: Under the advisement of a mentor, I could have learned to better connect with people  from different backgrounds and pushed me to try to walk in their shoes.

Humility: With the support of a mentor, I would have been able to reflect on my choices in a time appropriate manner and enact changes immediately to reconcile the mistakes I made. A mentor could have advised me to acknowledge others’ accomplishments and not take the credit myself or on behalf of my employer.

Who knows what would have happened if I had someone to talk to during my time as a maritime explorer. When sailing towards a better tomorrow, it’s important to never underestimate the role of a mentor.

Our members are producing some great results with their mentoring programs around the county. In the Best of the Best Practices column we will highlight one of our members that have solved some of the most difficult challenges associated with running a mentoring program.

One of our newest iMentor Interactive members has thought of a great way to build a sense of community amongst their mentors and help spread the word about mentoring. Kevin Jackson, the Mentor Manager at MORE Mentoring in Toledo, Ohio created a tent card for all the mentors participating in the MORE Mentoring program. Professionals who participate as mentors put up their tent card at their desk that read, “Shhhh . . . e-mentoring in session!!!” and “Not here right now . . . gone mentoring!!!”. Congratulations to MORE Mentoring for launching their program and coming up with such innovative ideas!