LIVE UNITED Y’All!

by Kelly Garvey, Director of Engagement Initiatives

On Tuesday, January 25th, United Way Worldwide joined First Lady Michelle Obama and some of the biggest names in education to talk about what we can all do to cut by half the number of young people who drop out of high school.

The First Lady proposed The Corporate Mentoring Challenge. It’s a call for U.S. companies to launch new mentoring programs, expand existing employee mentoring programs, and provide resources to support local mentoring programs that help youth gain leadership skills, achieve their educational goals, and increase their confidence. A few of our local Louisville corporate partners already plan to answer the call — Deloitte, and AT&T among them — and Metro United Way will be working hard in the months ahead to help channel this national effort to spread the Live United spirit into our local schools and communities.

Metro United Way already helps to support strong mentoring programs locally, like Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, To see how you can get involved with great programs like BBBS click HERE.

Take The Education Challenge!

Before you go please consider taking the Education Challenge below and email us for more information about how to get involved at kelly.garvey@metrounitedway.org or call 292-6153.

The Challenge (Raise you right hand and say…)

I believe that education is a building block for a good quality of life, that we all win when a child succeeds in school, and that our country’s success tomorrow depends on how well we educate our children today.

I believe that every child deserves great schools and great teachers, but they alone are not enough. We believe it also takes strong families, a stable home life and good health.

I believe that high school dropouts are years in the making and that early intervention is the key to success. Our vision is that every child will enter school ready to learn, read proficiently by 4th grade, make a successful transition to middle school, and graduate from high school on time.

I believe in the power of parents, teachers, students, companies, elected officials and members of the community, working together for the common good.

I believe in making choices based on what the research says.

I believe the time to stand up and LIVE UNITED for Education is now—for our kids, our community, and our country.

Advocacy, Education, Volunteering AT&T, community service, Deloitte, mentor, mentoring, Obama, youth

Mary Ann Steutermann

Growing up, I was lucky to have parents and other family members interested in how I was doing in school and very supportive of my progress. Mom would give me snack when I got home from school, tell me to turn off the TV so I could get my homework done, and would check on how I did when I said I was finished. Dad was a big help with geometry and science by helping me come up with ideas for the science fair or making me practice geometric proofs even when I didn’t want to. I also had a special aunt that I go could to for support when I had personal problems that I didn’t want to talk to my parents about. Unfortunately though, not every kid has that kind of support or the parental support provided isn’t enough to meet the academic and personal challenges the kid faces. Often, something more is needed.

Youth mentoring has proven to be one of the most effective ways of improving both self-esteem and academic success for young people. But mentoring isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. In fact, there are about as many different types of mentor relationships as there are caring adults out there willing to work with kids. A mentor can help with homework, shoot hoops or play baseball, take a young person to the theater, or engage in any number of activities that can help boost self-esteem and confidence.

Making a Difference

Most importantly, mentoring is effective. Students who meet regularly with a caring adult mentor are 52% less likely than other students to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class during the school day. Likewise, young people in mentor relationships are 46% less likely to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to begin drinking alcohol (National Mentoring Partnership – www.mentoring.org). Even more striking is the fact that minority youth are an amazing 70% less likely to begin drug use than those not in mentor relationships (Child Trends Research Brief).

Short-term gains from mentoring relationships include an improvement in the young person’s attitude about school; improved behavior at school; better relationships with parents, teachers, and peers; higher college enrollment and greater aspirations beyond high school; and improved decision-making, communication, social and relationship skills.

But the young people aren’t the only ones who benefit. Mentors report a greater satisfaction in their connection to the community and an increased sense of pride in making a positive contribution to the lives of at-risk youth. They also benefit from opportunities to develop new communication skills and further enhance their own strengths (www.nwrel.org/mentoring; Cori Brewster & Jennifer Fager, Sept. 1998).

Baby Steps

The great thing about being a mentor is that you can do it any way you like. Mentors can work through programs like Big Brothers, Big Sisters or countless agencies that pair caring adults with kids in need of a helping hand. But what if you don’t have time for that kind of commitment? No problem! You can still make a contribution. Consider asking kids in your neighborhood or you friends’ children how they are doing in school. Ask about their interests, what they are learning, and what they want to be when they grow up. Encourage them to stay in school and to go to college. If you can be a mentor through a more formal relationship, super. But if not, just showing some concern for the kids you encounter is a way to make “mentoring” part of the culture in the Metro area and to show kids that plenty of adults out there want them to be successful and are willing to help.

Education, General, Volunteering Children, Education, making a difference, mentoring, Metro United Way, reading, Volunteer, youth

By Judy Schroeder

I am pretty sure I’m not the only one who is still comparing herself to her mother’s vision for her…right? Even when it spoke through dread and disappointment (“You’re not wearing that!” or “You don’t have any weekend to come home?”), Mom’s voice was the one I wanted to hear.

I was blessed, too. I could actually trust her judgment. Her humor and understanding turned all the little household chores into a great chance to be with her. Really, it was a very sneaky way to pull off raising six children born within nine years of each other! Teamwork. Inspiration. Joy. We won’t go into the temper tantrums here. I’ll just say…Discipline. She was clear enough to “jerk a knot in your tail” or place that worry in your own head when you started to go off track.

My Mom was a passionate, loving woman.

So, you know what you do when you’re the daughter of a passionate, loving woman? No, I didn’t have six children in nine years. I have three of my own, and lots of neighborhood children.

Other people I know who have blessings to share, share those blessings as mentors, tutors, and coaches. Many, like Joe Tolan, just make it their business to know the children and families on their block, or plant a garden like Ms. Lucille at the Russell Community Garden, or even outfit a bike repair workshop as Whit Forrester did in Old Louisville. My husband is the “go to” guy for basketball pumping on our block in Portland.

We do it because it’s fascinating to watch the young societies mix and match interests, bargain and exchange goods, argue and test each other over who they are and what’s important, today, in life. It might look like a fight, but it’s a test of wills and beliefs. We can help them with that. They’re all asking to be heard. They are fantastic! The best thing is that as they grow up, another crop suddenly appears. Those young parents are pretty interesting, too!

I am so proud to be part of a community that wants to make our “Youth Vision” a reality, where we want all children to experience “Success By 6.” Your contributions of time and treasure keep great community facilities open in places where families need those safe, healthy, and free opportunities.

If you are the mentor, tutor, or coach who encourages teamwork, inspiration, joy and discipline, Thank You! Or, like me, maybe you’ll want to keep that backyard basketball hoop and jungle gym just so that – with parental permission and an open ear from the house – we can keep tabs on that next generation.

Education, Volunteering mentoring, Neighborhoods, Success By 6, Youth Vision