What was your dream job when you were growing up?? Let us know by commenting on out blog!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
What was your dream job?
Below is a clip from the latest Family Circle magazine which talks about students' dream jobs. SMILES thought this was interesting, since mentors often “worry” about their mentee wanting to be an athlete or singer. It's FANTASTIC that our children have a goal and dreams. Mentors are here to support their dreams and also help our students come up with a few back-up plans! We'll be polling our mentees and seeing what their dream jobs are, so keep your eyes peeled for those results!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
SMILES Hiring New Facilitators! DoYou Have What It Takes???
It's an exciting time of year for SMILES, what with all of the preparations being made before the opening of programs for the new school year. It's especially exciting when the number of programs are growing. That means SMILES has the enjoyable task of hiring more program facilitators!!It's a great part-time job and takes a special person to fill the role. Here are some of the qualifications to be a successful mentor:
First and foremost, a SMILES facilitator must be a good role model and must like - no, love - kids!
A SMILES facilitator must also enjoy interacting with adults and be willing to nurture each mentor-mentee relationship.
A SMILES facilitator must have excellent communication skills because s/he is on the front lines for SMILES, working with the school staff, the mentors and the children to have a successful year.
A SMILES facilitator must be punctual, professional, organized, and able to work both independently as a member of the SMILES team.
A SMILES facilitator must be reliable and have reliable transportation.
A SMILES facilitator must be able to help others have some FUN!!! Why? How many solid relationships do you know that exist between people who don't enjoy being with each other???
If you know someone who might be interested in being a SMILES facilitator, PLEASE SHARE THIS. If you would like more information, contact SMILES Program Manager Marie-Frances Rivera at the SMILES office at (508) 999-9300.
Join the SMILES Team!!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Youth Mentoring Sets Sights on Dropout Prevention
To the Many Supporters of SMILES:
It's not too often that we find ourselves ahead of the curve, but in this case SMILES is out front by no less than seven years! It was seven years ago when we established our first pilot mentoring programs at two New Bedford middle schools. The mission was then as it is now - to use structured school-based mentoring as a strategy to help students achieve thier educational potential so that more of them will graduate from high school.
The following press release was issued recently by the three leading national mentoring organizations. It announces a "joint initiative to help combat America's school dropout crisis" and helps direct prospective volunteer mentors to communities with the lowest-performing schools. Fall River and New Bedford are among the 170 communites listed as having the lowest performing schools.
From a practical point of view, SMILES is perfectly positioned to take advantage of this initiative in our effort to achieve continued growth. Hopefully, broader recognition of the primary role mentoring can play in dropout prevention will translate into increased resources to support programs like SMILES that exist for the sole purpose of helping kids do better in school so they will graduate.
Whatever happens next, it's a good day when these three national mentoring organizations publicly and aggressively apply their considerable resources to the important and challenging work of dropout prevention.
- Jim Mathes -
Executive Director
SMILES Mentoring Program
A Program of People, Incorporated
July 16, 2010: Today, MENTOR, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Mentoring USA launched a joint initiative to help combat America's school dropout crisis that uses a Volunteer Referral Service to route potential mentors to mentoring programs throughout the United States, including 170 communities with the lowest-performing schools.
Known as Academic Achievement through Mentoring, the initiative was first noted at a 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service issue forum on mentoring as a solution to the school dropout crisis, where speakers included Joshua DuBois of the White House Office of Faith Based Initiatives, Matilda Cuomo of Mentoring USA, Dr. Larry Wright of MENTOR and Karen Mathis of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Today's launch at www.mentoring.org/aatm/ allows potential mentors to access the list of 2,000 identified schools and then type their own zip code into MENTOR's Volunteer Referral Service consisting of more than 5,000 guality mentoring programs. If visitors to the site choose, they then can be connected with a mentoring provider for the identified school district, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and others.
Mentoring is a youth intervention that research shows can help keep students in school, out of trouble and working to achieve their potential as individuals and as citizens. During the Conference on Volunteering and Service, DuBois cited alarming statistics for the capacity crowd, including:
* 1.3 million American students drop out of high school each year.
* One-third of all children and one-half of low income and minority youth
fail to graduate on time.
* Of minority students who enroll in college, only 10 percent graduate.
* Only 3 percent of today's jobs are available to unskilled employees.
* The 2,000 lowest-performing schools are located in 170 communities.
Research has shown mentoring to have significant positive effects on two early indicators of high school dropouts -- high levels of absenteeism and recurring behavior problems. Youth in mentoring relationships present better attitudes and behaviors at school and are more likely to attend college than their counterparts.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What has four legs, four arms, four eyes, two heads and two HUGE smiles?
A successful mentor match, of course!
Okay, so that's not the best riddle you ever read and it's a pretty weak example of humor but it's the thought that counts, right?
Humor and mentoring go hand in hand, just ask Charlie Appelstein. Appelstein is an author, speaker and therapist who has been working with troubled kids for years. In his book, No Such thing As a Bad Kid, Appelstein stresses the importance of humor in establishing and nurturing a relationship with any youth.
Now, not all of us were born comic geniuses, right? Being funny and having the ability to make other people laugh seem to come naturally to some people but what about the rest of us?
Appelstein suggests buying a joke book and reading some jokes out loud to your mentee. You could even memorize a few. You know, build a repertoire! Other ideas include showing up wearing a funny hat or plastic nose and black glasses, or other funny costume; using props such as wind-up toys, cards and magic tricks; taking traditional games like Bingo and adding twists to them that make them silly and more fun than they already are.
Those are just a few of the ideas that Appelstein writes about. One thing he warns against is using any kind of sarcasm, as it, in Appelstein's words, "masks feelings of hostility" and is "a put-down."
Really, a little humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, can really brighten a child's day. And, it's another gift that you can give to your mentee: The gift of laughter.
A successful mentor match, of course!
Okay, so that's not the best riddle you ever read and it's a pretty weak example of humor but it's the thought that counts, right?
Humor and mentoring go hand in hand, just ask Charlie Appelstein. Appelstein is an author, speaker and therapist who has been working with troubled kids for years. In his book, No Such thing As a Bad Kid, Appelstein stresses the importance of humor in establishing and nurturing a relationship with any youth.
Now, not all of us were born comic geniuses, right? Being funny and having the ability to make other people laugh seem to come naturally to some people but what about the rest of us?
Appelstein suggests buying a joke book and reading some jokes out loud to your mentee. You could even memorize a few. You know, build a repertoire! Other ideas include showing up wearing a funny hat or plastic nose and black glasses, or other funny costume; using props such as wind-up toys, cards and magic tricks; taking traditional games like Bingo and adding twists to them that make them silly and more fun than they already are.
Those are just a few of the ideas that Appelstein writes about. One thing he warns against is using any kind of sarcasm, as it, in Appelstein's words, "masks feelings of hostility" and is "a put-down."
Really, a little humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, can really brighten a child's day. And, it's another gift that you can give to your mentee: The gift of laughter.
The PSA at the bottom of this blog entry is a great example of how humor and laughter can help to strengthen a relationship. After you watch it, SMILES would love to know how you have used humor in your mentoring relationship, or any ideas for sharing humor that you might have.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Mentor matches blooming all over the place!
It's garden season, isn't it? Planting and watering, sowing and weeding, and looking forward to the flowers blooming and the vegetables ripening.
I just wanted to thank you for doing the SMILES program and including Will. He really loves it and looks forward to it each time. Will had a tough year with diabetes and not feeling well. the SMILES program gave him a boost each week. He especially loved the exercise that all the kids wrote nice things about each other. I said to him 'We tell you those things all the time.' He said: 'Yeah, Mom, but you're my parents, you HAVE to say that.' It really added to his sense of self. So, thank you.
And, SMILES loves to get comments such as these from teachers whose students are in literacy-based programs:
"The mentors share stories about their lives, and the children love it."
"The mentors allow the children to share their stories one on one, they are great listeners."
"Many of the children are so pleased with their reading fluency that they now volunteer to read out loud in class."
It's great knowing that the SMILES garden is in full bloom as the school year winds down. Thanks for letting us share with you. And remember, there are sooo many more children who need mentors. If you'd like more information on becoming a SMILES mentor, do contact the office at (508) 999-9300, email Nicole at nalmeida@smilesmentoring.org or check out our website at www.smilesmentoring.org.
Well, here at SMILES, everything is in full bloom now, with lots of positive results from the year's mentoring programs. And, there's plenty of evidence, such as this letter from the parent of a mentee to one of our facilitators:
Mrs. Brown,
I just wanted to thank you for doing the SMILES program and including Will. He really loves it and looks forward to it each time. Will had a tough year with diabetes and not feeling well. the SMILES program gave him a boost each week. He especially loved the exercise that all the kids wrote nice things about each other. I said to him 'We tell you those things all the time.' He said: 'Yeah, Mom, but you're my parents, you HAVE to say that.' It really added to his sense of self. So, thank you.
Then, there are notes like this one written by a 2nd grade student in a SMILES Literacy program:
And, SMILES loves to get comments such as these from teachers whose students are in literacy-based programs:
"The mentors share stories about their lives, and the children love it."
"The mentors allow the children to share their stories one on one, they are great listeners."
"Many of the children are so pleased with their reading fluency that they now volunteer to read out loud in class."
It's great knowing that the SMILES garden is in full bloom as the school year winds down. Thanks for letting us share with you. And remember, there are sooo many more children who need mentors. If you'd like more information on becoming a SMILES mentor, do contact the office at (508) 999-9300, email Nicole at nalmeida@smilesmentoring.org or check out our website at www.smilesmentoring.org.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Girl Power in Mentoring
Ladies, this one's for you!
Roosevelt Middle School in New Bedford is interested in starting a Girls Mentoring Program!
Some of the SMILES staff attended a Girl's Tea at the South End school recently, where 100 professional women shared their experiences with 100 7th Grade female students. The idea was to give the young ladies the opportunity to meet area women who could share some of their experiences about becoming successful, productive women.
It was a great event! Looking around the room, you could see the shyness and anxiety of meeting new people melt away as the tea cups were filled and the breakfast sandwiches were served. And, when the idea was introduced to build on the event by establishing a weekly GIRLS mentoring program, several women said they'd be interested in participating.
What are your ideas for building mentoring programs in the community to answer the need for positive role models? Let us know!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
School-based & Community-based Mentoring makes a strong partnership
Mentor Tony and mentee Dominic are a 4 year strong match whose relationship would not be as powerful had it not been for the strong partnership SMILES and our community-based mentoring partners Big Friends, Little Friends (BFLF) and Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) have established.
Each spring, as our school based programs wind down for the year, we ask mentors if they would be interested in continuing with their mentees over the summer with either BBBS or BFLF.
Once a rapport and trust has been built in the school environment between a mentor and mentee enhancing the relationship by being able to "hang out" as Dominic and Tony so nicely put it is so powerful! SMILES currently has 30 active matches who are supported by Big Brother, Big Sister of Greater New Bedford and Big Friends, Little Friends of Fall River!
So, if you have a little extra time to spend with you mentee it's an excellent option! To see if this would be a good option for you and your SMILES mentee - please email Marie-Frances Rivera at mrivera@smilesmentoring.org
Also, for our SMILES mentors who are not able to commit at this point, but want more information either email mrivera@smilesmentoring.org or call 508-999-9300.
Monday, April 26, 2010
SMILES Pioneers: Tutor/Mentors & Independent Mentors
SMILES is fortunate to have such a great group of individuals who are mentoring and tutoring students in an independent setting. In other words, they meet with their mentees in the school without other mentor matches and without a facilitator. We think of them as our pioneers, blazing trails for others to follow!
Recently, we met over pizza and salad with a group of SMILES tutor/mentors who are helping students at Normandin Middle School meet their academic challenges. Joining us at the table were Normandin Principal Dr. Jeanne Bonneau and many of the school's guidance counselors. The tutor/mentors are small in number (there are 7) but extremely effective. They spoke about the progress that their students were making. Many have gone from failing to passing Math. Others are doing so well, they're now looking forward to attending Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech in the future. The only request from the school is: We Need More Tutors! MORE TUTORS, PLEASE!
SMILES also recently met with Independent Mentors over muffins and fruit salad. Independent Mentor Elise and mentee Trina are pictured above. Independent Mentors meet one-to-one with mentees in a number of schools. Some of the matches have existed for several years; others are working with students who have been referred by school principals requesting mentors for particular students who they know could flourish with the support of a mentor. It was another terrific meeting, with the mentors offering some first-rate suggestions to SMILES' staff so that we can continue to support them. Once again, it was great to hear about the successes that these relationships have experienced.
If you're interested in becoming a Tutor/Mentor at Normandin Middle School or an Independent Mentor, please contact SMILES At (508) 999-9300 or send us a message through our website at www.smilesmentoring.org.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Absolutely Incredible Kid Day 2010!
This is SMILES 4th year celebrating a very special day called Absolutely Incredible Kid Day. Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is a national letter-writing campaign where kids receive letters of support, love and encouragement from parents and adults. Since we’re a group of encouraging adults in the lives of young people, it’s very well suited that we partake in this lovely day.
Our Program Facilitators have spread the word about AIKD 2010 and since our programs don't all meet with their mentees on Thursday, March 18th when this day is celebrated, SMILES stretches this holiday out for a week or two to ensure that we all get a chance to write our mentee a special note letting them know how special they are.
Below is a real sample of a letter our Director of Operations, Lynn Poyant, wrote to her mentee.
Dear Destiny,
I’ll bet that you’re a little surprised to be getting a letter from me. Well, I have been thinking about what an incredible young lady you are and I want to let you know how much I enjoy seeing you each week at your school during the SMILES program. It’s the best part of my week!
You’re a great kid. You’re smart, you’re fun to be with, and you have some very special talents, such as playing the violin and dancing. I know that you try hard to have a good attitude and that you care very much about other people (even though you try to hide it, sometimes.)
So, even though it’s not your birthday, or Christmas, it’s ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE KID DAY and I’m glad to have this chance to tell you that I think you’re a Very Special Person and that I’m happy to be your friend.
Peace,
Lynn
Mentors, please comment on how your student reacted to receiving their wonderful letter!!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Kids’ Involvement in Mentoring Programs at School Help Them Control Emotions
The brief news article below really struck a cord with the SMILES staff, because day by day, week by week, month by month WE witness our mentees' behavior improving throughout our school-based mentoring programs. SMILES mentees become better able to express their feelings, emotions and thoughts through the activities that they do with their mentors. In our traditional 4th - 8th grade programs, one of our most popular activities is called "Voting Corners" where we encourage kids and mentors to speak their minds on an array of subjects. "If you don't go to college, you won't be successful." "Should everyone be given a second chance, every time and in every situation?" You'd be VERY surprised what 6th graders have to say about these thought provoking questions!
SMILES gives students a forum to speak their minds in an appropriate and thoughtful manner with their mentor there for support. We are certain this practice carries over to their interactions with their peers, teachers, family and others.
Please read below and comment if you have seen these changes in your mentee!
----------------------------
A new study initiated by the Researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center has suggested that teaching self control skills like
"This study suggests that with appropriate guidance from a trained adult, young children are capable of learning a great deal about their emotions and skills for handling their emotions effectively and those skills can have direct, positive benefits for their functioning in school", said Peter Wyman, Ph. D., lead author of the study and associate professor of Psychiatry at the Medical Center.
The study involved 226 students, possessing behavioral or social problems at school, from two different elementary schools.
In addition, the study claims that the children enrolled in a school-run mentoring program showed more capability to handle anger and other emotions compared to others, thereby facing fewer disciplinary referrals.
Apart from posing improvement in almost all the classroom behavior fields, the children were reported to have a 43 percent decrease in mean suspensions in comparison to the others who were not a part of the program."
http://topnews.us/content/212949-kids-involvement-mentoring-programs-school-help-them-control-emotions
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Carlos Pacheco SMILES Literacy Program
SMILES is very proud to be working with the Carlos Pacheco Elementary School. Principal Marcia Faucher has opened her doors to our mentors and we've had such fun working with all of the young folks there over the past 4 years! Click on the video below to catch a glimpse of the happening at Carlos Pacheco.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Mentees' Thoughts Summarized by SMILES Facilitator Kristen Gunderson
This past Thursday, February 26th I sat with the 13 mentees in the Kuss Middle School 7th grade program to gather their thoughts on SMILES and their mentors. Below is a summary of their thoughts and feelings on what is going well and things they would like to see changed for the better!
The 7th graders at Kuss mentioned that this year they really enjoyed the fitness/healthy eating celebration, where they made granola and went through some circuit training with SMILES Mentor Sue Dias-Cordeiro. They also enjoyed the field trip to the ATMC (Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center) where they found out about cool inventions and met with the UMASS college interns who worked at the facility. They also really enjoy the one-to-one time they spend alone with their mentor, which is then followed up by the group activities. They enjoy more hands on activities and want more projects of things they can make and then take home.
The mentees mentioned they did not enjoy the luminary activity (SMILES in the Sky) and they don’t like making contests out of everything because they feel that everyone should be a winner.
The program has thus far met their expectations and they have not been disappointed in the year so far. It is running the way Mrs. Jodoin, their school adjustment counselor and their SMILES facilitator, Katje, had explained it would.
As of now, all of the matches (save for two who are brand new) are comfortable with their mentors. This comfort level is a direct result of their mentor’s personalities, their willingness to share information about themselves in a get-to-know-me way. By the third and fourth meeting, everyone agreed that they had reached a good comfort level with their mentor.
Everyone feels as though their mentors listen to them 100% and that their feedback and advice on topics such as sports, school, drugs/alcohol, manners and career paths has been very helpful to them. These mentees get excited when they see their mentor and most of them would like to see their mentors for an additional 15 minutes during their time together. A few went as far to say that they would like to continue seeing their mentor on weekends and over vacation.
In the event that a mentee just doesn’t want to talk to their mentor that day, the mentees said that sometimes they’re just tired, don’t feel well or they’ve had a bad day in general and don’t want to do any more talking. Despite not wanting to talk, they are happy to be in their mentor's company.
Mentees have said that the best part about having a mentor is that they have someone to talk to at the end of the day who is always there, gives good feedback, listens carefully and makes you feel like you’re important and what you have to say is important.
These conversations have ultimately made the mentees feel more confident, have significantly boosted their self esteem, has helped them do better in school (both behaviorally and academically), helped them expand if not change their future goals all together, and feel good about themselves overall.
As a result of their relationship with an adult, these mentees have said they now view adults as being their equals; just because they’ve been on the earth longer than they have, they are still people. Once they thought all adults were boring and were only around to tell you what to do, they now realize that adults can be fun and interesting. One mentee said he now realizes that SMILES put in a lot of time and effort into picking out people that would be “just right” for them, not just some “drug dealin’ pill popper from off the streets”. They’ve learned not to “judge books by their covers” and said that they could walk into a room full of adults and be totally comfortable.
Mentees have said that since they’ve been in SMILES, they’ve now found it easier to speak to people (peers and adults), they’ve improved their grades, and they look at things in a more positive way.
The one thing this group would love to see SMILES do is have a talent show at the end of the year - including their mentors and their talents! They would also like to know more questions about their mentor’s childhood, their life when they were preteens.
~Respectfully submitted by SMILES Facilitator Kristen Gunderson
The 7th graders at Kuss mentioned that this year they really enjoyed the fitness/healthy eating celebration, where they made granola and went through some circuit training with SMILES Mentor Sue Dias-Cordeiro. They also enjoyed the field trip to the ATMC (Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center) where they found out about cool inventions and met with the UMASS college interns who worked at the facility. They also really enjoy the one-to-one time they spend alone with their mentor, which is then followed up by the group activities. They enjoy more hands on activities and want more projects of things they can make and then take home.
The mentees mentioned they did not enjoy the luminary activity (SMILES in the Sky) and they don’t like making contests out of everything because they feel that everyone should be a winner.
The program has thus far met their expectations and they have not been disappointed in the year so far. It is running the way Mrs. Jodoin, their school adjustment counselor and their SMILES facilitator, Katje, had explained it would.
As of now, all of the matches (save for two who are brand new) are comfortable with their mentors. This comfort level is a direct result of their mentor’s personalities, their willingness to share information about themselves in a get-to-know-me way. By the third and fourth meeting, everyone agreed that they had reached a good comfort level with their mentor.
Everyone feels as though their mentors listen to them 100% and that their feedback and advice on topics such as sports, school, drugs/alcohol, manners and career paths has been very helpful to them. These mentees get excited when they see their mentor and most of them would like to see their mentors for an additional 15 minutes during their time together. A few went as far to say that they would like to continue seeing their mentor on weekends and over vacation.
In the event that a mentee just doesn’t want to talk to their mentor that day, the mentees said that sometimes they’re just tired, don’t feel well or they’ve had a bad day in general and don’t want to do any more talking. Despite not wanting to talk, they are happy to be in their mentor's company.
Mentees have said that the best part about having a mentor is that they have someone to talk to at the end of the day who is always there, gives good feedback, listens carefully and makes you feel like you’re important and what you have to say is important.
These conversations have ultimately made the mentees feel more confident, have significantly boosted their self esteem, has helped them do better in school (both behaviorally and academically), helped them expand if not change their future goals all together, and feel good about themselves overall.
As a result of their relationship with an adult, these mentees have said they now view adults as being their equals; just because they’ve been on the earth longer than they have, they are still people. Once they thought all adults were boring and were only around to tell you what to do, they now realize that adults can be fun and interesting. One mentee said he now realizes that SMILES put in a lot of time and effort into picking out people that would be “just right” for them, not just some “drug dealin’ pill popper from off the streets”. They’ve learned not to “judge books by their covers” and said that they could walk into a room full of adults and be totally comfortable.
Mentees have said that since they’ve been in SMILES, they’ve now found it easier to speak to people (peers and adults), they’ve improved their grades, and they look at things in a more positive way.
The one thing this group would love to see SMILES do is have a talent show at the end of the year - including their mentors and their talents! They would also like to know more questions about their mentor’s childhood, their life when they were preteens.
~Respectfully submitted by SMILES Facilitator Kristen Gunderson
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The little girl inside...
The entry below was written by a guest blogger, Elizett Pires, who works for SMILES Mentoring as an AmeriCorps Ambassador of Mentoring. As you continue on to read this entry you'll discover how lucky we are to have Elizett on our team!
The little girl inside...
Elizett Pires
2/3/10
SMILES Mentoring
It’s amazing how fast time goes when you’re doing something you truly enjoy. Six months of my service year is complete and I still have so much to do. I may have to face road blocks such as lack of funds, time, man power or other issues, but I choose to persevere and continue with my mission each day. My motivation comes from the little girl within me. She grew up in the same neighborhood as most of our SMILES mentees. She went to some of the same schools that SMILES programs are in. She moved to New Bedford from Cape Verde when she was about three-years-old with three older sisters and her mother, who by the way had never worked a day in her life. It wasn’t until they came to the US that her mother got a job. Her mother slaved away in a fish factory for sometimes what were 14/15 hour days, leaving her eldest sister who was only 10 at the time to take care of the younger children after school. Her mother would still manage to come home each day to make them dinner and braid their hair for school the next day. After that she still had another task, night school to learn English. That was their life, the only life they really knew back then since the little girl’s father was always working at sea. You may read this and think that her mom was an unfit parent but to this little girl she was and always will be the glue that keeps their family together. In those days she was fortunate enough to have a few people in her life that really helped her to mature and flourish. They were a next door neighbor who was like a second grandmother to her, a church member who pushed and challenged her both emotionally and spiritually and an academic who showed her the opportunities that were available to her if she worked hard enough for them. The little girl was fortunate enough to have three amazing mentors throughout her childhood. So, it is that little girl that I hear and see in so many of the young mentees in SMILES. That little girl and SMILES mentees may not all have the same story but they have one thing in common, they are or were once considered at-risk youth in the South Coast community. I am that little girl and I don’t think I would be the person I am today without their influences. In some ways I think I am luckier than other Highland Street Corps members because I have the privilege to serve in my own community. I have been given the opportunity to place amazing individuals with great hearts and intentions into the lives of youth who truly need another positive influence and role model.I’ve shared my story but you must be wondering, “How exactly are you making a difference?”Well at SMILES I serve two major functions with one important mission, capacity building. My first function is recruitment efforts. This includes processing new mentors, going out into the community and presenting about SMILES, creating new marketing tools or creating new strategies for getting SMILES’ name out there.Some projects that I have especially enjoyed have been going into the local universities and presenting to college students about SMILES. It’s so nice to see 18-22 year olds who care about those that come after them and truly wanting to make a difference. As someone who recently graduated from college I know how hard it is to balance school, student life, and jobs alone; never mind adding in a huge commitment such as mentoring. I’ve also been able to and will continue to work on creating video PSA’s and recruitment videos for SMILES. It is such a time consuming task but the end result is truly amazing. In the videos we hope to capture the true essence of what mentoring is. They will include feedback from mentees, school teachers/counselors, staff and mentors who have powerful stories to share.In terms of recruitment, things are going great. I’ve been able to match 100 mentors since I began my service year in August and have received almost 400 inquiries. This is truly amazing and I’m so happy to be working on such a critical part of what SMILES does.My second major function at SMILES is match support. In my opinion this is the area that needs the most attention so I am always trying to find new ways to reach out to current mentors. I’ve called many mentors to talk about what is going on, I’ve created a newsletter and a wall of fame for them, and I’ve also helped with planning events for them.The match support effort that I am most proud of so far is the Monthly Mentor Magazine I created because it is a simple way of reaching out to just about all of our mentors. The magazine includes tips for successful mentoring relationships, answers to tough questions, it highlights matches and more.As you can see I have been busy but I’ve enjoyed it and expect to get busier as the year progresses. I am an AmeriCorps member and I will get things done!
The little girl inside...
Elizett Pires
2/3/10
SMILES Mentoring
It’s amazing how fast time goes when you’re doing something you truly enjoy. Six months of my service year is complete and I still have so much to do. I may have to face road blocks such as lack of funds, time, man power or other issues, but I choose to persevere and continue with my mission each day. My motivation comes from the little girl within me. She grew up in the same neighborhood as most of our SMILES mentees. She went to some of the same schools that SMILES programs are in. She moved to New Bedford from Cape Verde when she was about three-years-old with three older sisters and her mother, who by the way had never worked a day in her life. It wasn’t until they came to the US that her mother got a job. Her mother slaved away in a fish factory for sometimes what were 14/15 hour days, leaving her eldest sister who was only 10 at the time to take care of the younger children after school. Her mother would still manage to come home each day to make them dinner and braid their hair for school the next day. After that she still had another task, night school to learn English. That was their life, the only life they really knew back then since the little girl’s father was always working at sea. You may read this and think that her mom was an unfit parent but to this little girl she was and always will be the glue that keeps their family together. In those days she was fortunate enough to have a few people in her life that really helped her to mature and flourish. They were a next door neighbor who was like a second grandmother to her, a church member who pushed and challenged her both emotionally and spiritually and an academic who showed her the opportunities that were available to her if she worked hard enough for them. The little girl was fortunate enough to have three amazing mentors throughout her childhood. So, it is that little girl that I hear and see in so many of the young mentees in SMILES. That little girl and SMILES mentees may not all have the same story but they have one thing in common, they are or were once considered at-risk youth in the South Coast community. I am that little girl and I don’t think I would be the person I am today without their influences. In some ways I think I am luckier than other Highland Street Corps members because I have the privilege to serve in my own community. I have been given the opportunity to place amazing individuals with great hearts and intentions into the lives of youth who truly need another positive influence and role model.I’ve shared my story but you must be wondering, “How exactly are you making a difference?”Well at SMILES I serve two major functions with one important mission, capacity building. My first function is recruitment efforts. This includes processing new mentors, going out into the community and presenting about SMILES, creating new marketing tools or creating new strategies for getting SMILES’ name out there.Some projects that I have especially enjoyed have been going into the local universities and presenting to college students about SMILES. It’s so nice to see 18-22 year olds who care about those that come after them and truly wanting to make a difference. As someone who recently graduated from college I know how hard it is to balance school, student life, and jobs alone; never mind adding in a huge commitment such as mentoring. I’ve also been able to and will continue to work on creating video PSA’s and recruitment videos for SMILES. It is such a time consuming task but the end result is truly amazing. In the videos we hope to capture the true essence of what mentoring is. They will include feedback from mentees, school teachers/counselors, staff and mentors who have powerful stories to share.In terms of recruitment, things are going great. I’ve been able to match 100 mentors since I began my service year in August and have received almost 400 inquiries. This is truly amazing and I’m so happy to be working on such a critical part of what SMILES does.My second major function at SMILES is match support. In my opinion this is the area that needs the most attention so I am always trying to find new ways to reach out to current mentors. I’ve called many mentors to talk about what is going on, I’ve created a newsletter and a wall of fame for them, and I’ve also helped with planning events for them.The match support effort that I am most proud of so far is the Monthly Mentor Magazine I created because it is a simple way of reaching out to just about all of our mentors. The magazine includes tips for successful mentoring relationships, answers to tough questions, it highlights matches and more.As you can see I have been busy but I’ve enjoyed it and expect to get busier as the year progresses. I am an AmeriCorps member and I will get things done!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
SMILES Match shares their story
This video was shot and produced by SMILES Americorps Ambassador of Mentoring, Elizett Pires. It's a great insight into a really strong SMILES relationship.
SMILES attends Youth Mentoring Day at the Statehouse
Thursday, January 21st 2010 was a fantastic day for SMILES Mentoring! We were graced with the opportunity to visit the Massachusetts Statehouse with 12 mentor/mentee matches. We were given the opportunity to meet with over a half dozen of our area law makers and have our voices heard. Representative Aguiar, Representative Canessa, Representative Haddad, Representative Rodrigues, Representative Sullivan, State Senator Menard and State Senator Montigny were all gracious enough to open their office doors and personally listen to SMILES mentors, mentees and staff speak about the power of mentoring and what they can do to help the program grow.
We were able to tour the grandious Statehouse and learned fun facts, like that fact that the golden dome of the Statehouse is covered in 23 karat gold flakes thinner than paper!
SMILES mentees urged the legislators to find more funding for programs like SMILES and other afterschool/extracurricular activities, since they're seeing many of their friends getting into trouble on the streets.
Our voices were loud and unified along with many other programs that day at the Statehouse. Check out our pictures below!
David Shapiro, Executive Director of the Mass Mentoring Partnership addressing the crowd.
Group of SMILES matches with Rep. Haddad, Rep. Aguiar, Rep. Sullivan and Rep Rodrigues
SMILES matches looking very official in the Senate Chambers - thanks Senator Menard for the inside peek!
We were able to tour the grandious Statehouse and learned fun facts, like that fact that the golden dome of the Statehouse is covered in 23 karat gold flakes thinner than paper!
SMILES mentees urged the legislators to find more funding for programs like SMILES and other afterschool/extracurricular activities, since they're seeing many of their friends getting into trouble on the streets.
Our voices were loud and unified along with many other programs that day at the Statehouse. Check out our pictures below!
David Shapiro, Executive Director of the Mass Mentoring Partnership addressing the crowd.
Group of SMILES matches with Rep. Haddad, Rep. Aguiar, Rep. Sullivan and Rep Rodrigues
SMILES matches looking very official in the Senate Chambers - thanks Senator Menard for the inside peek!Thursday, January 14, 2010
National Mentoring Month
This is a HUGE month for SMILES Mentoring and all of the countless mentoring organizations across this Commonwealth and the U.S.A.
The White House has released President Obama's proclamation stating that January is officially National Mentoring Month in America.
The proclamation, in part, reads: "Every day, mentors in communities across our Nation provide crucial support and guidance to young people. Whether a day is spent helping with homework, playing catch, or just listening, these moments can have an enormous, lasting effect on a child's life. During National Mentoring Month, we recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring young Americans.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Mentoring Month. I call upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs."
To do our part in securing National Mentoring Month as a mainstay in the SouthCoast we've partnered up with other local mentoring organizations to get the word out about the power of mentoring.
We've organized two press conferences with our local partners, one in Fall River the other in New Bedford.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/fall-river/news/x532573526/Ceremony-held-in-Fall-River-to-recognize-mentoring-volunteers
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090123/NEWS/901230343/1011/TOWN10
SMILES is also collaborating with Big Friends, Little Friends and Big Brother, Big Sister to host the SOUTHCOAST MENTORING RALLY taking place on Wednesday, January 27th from 6-7:30pm at UMASS Dartmouth - Woodland Commons building.
We're looking to have a large turnout of mentors, mentees, program staff and prospective mentors at the rally! We will be showcasing special guests, prizes, music and fun!! All ages are welcome come join us and bring a friend!
We feel truly fortunate in the Southcoast to have such an active and vibrant group of organizations and volunteers serving the youth of this community and we work everyday to inform more people about the power of mentoring!
The White House has released President Obama's proclamation stating that January is officially National Mentoring Month in America.
The proclamation, in part, reads: "Every day, mentors in communities across our Nation provide crucial support and guidance to young people. Whether a day is spent helping with homework, playing catch, or just listening, these moments can have an enormous, lasting effect on a child's life. During National Mentoring Month, we recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring young Americans.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2010 as National Mentoring Month. I call upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs."
To do our part in securing National Mentoring Month as a mainstay in the SouthCoast we've partnered up with other local mentoring organizations to get the word out about the power of mentoring.
We've organized two press conferences with our local partners, one in Fall River the other in New Bedford.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/fall-river/news/x532573526/Ceremony-held-in-Fall-River-to-recognize-mentoring-volunteers
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090123/NEWS/901230343/1011/TOWN10
SMILES is also collaborating with Big Friends, Little Friends and Big Brother, Big Sister to host the SOUTHCOAST MENTORING RALLY taking place on Wednesday, January 27th from 6-7:30pm at UMASS Dartmouth - Woodland Commons building.
We're looking to have a large turnout of mentors, mentees, program staff and prospective mentors at the rally! We will be showcasing special guests, prizes, music and fun!! All ages are welcome come join us and bring a friend!
We feel truly fortunate in the Southcoast to have such an active and vibrant group of organizations and volunteers serving the youth of this community and we work everyday to inform more people about the power of mentoring!
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