“Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him/her, and to let them know you trust him/her.” ~ Booker T. Washington.
Anyone who has been around young people understands the deep impact mentoring programs can have. Mentored youth have significant reductions in school absence, greater participation in college, better attitudes about school, and even improved relationships with their parents. They are also less likely to commit crimes or turn to drug or alcohol use. Research shows that young people who feel connected to caring adults in a community program get more from the program overall.
Enter New Mexico’s mentoring programs for young teens. The state has a wide variety of programs — more than can be listed here. Mentoring provides youth with a consistent level of caring in an increasingly fragile world. Some of New Mexico’s young teens, especially those at risk, benefit greatly from the following programs, simply because they learn first hand what it means to care.
Albuquerque
The Cornstalk Institute
http://www.mattaxling.com/cornstalkindex.htm
Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque’s agricultural South Valley lie five green acres that serve as home to the Cornstalk Institute. Cornstalk’s goal is to involve learners of all ages in mental, physical and spiritual development. Through its “Learning to Lead” program, teens learn to hone the skills that keep them away from risky behavior and move them toward responsible choices. The program provides at-risk youth from area middle and high schools with the keys to critical thinking, conflict resolution, problem solving, and anger management. Director Cassie Benson coordinates staff members and local students in a winning tiered mentorship formula. High schoolers from Rio Grande and Albuquerque High Schools mentor middle schoolers from Polk, Harrison, Jefferson and Washington. Students in turn are mentored by Cornstalk’s young adult staff members. And Cassie, who started as a staff member herself, now oversees students and staff. It’s all about prevention, Benson says, and the inherent challenges of the program’s ropes courses, hiking, backpacking and camping teach students how to add responsible choices to risk taking. “Prevention as a part of experiential education fits perfectly,” she says. By the end of the course’s 14 weeks, they’ve learned the kind of leadership skills that will benefit them their entire lives.
ENLACE (Engaging Latin American Communities for Education)
Enlace in Spanish means link, and that’s exactly what this program does. ENLACE links Latino kids who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by school with an adult Latino mentor who coaches them through the rough spots. Summer prep programs create a bridge for incoming ninth grade students new to high school’s different world. UNM students work with high school and middle school students, offering them tutoring and instruction. The program offers insight into becoming a high school student, and summer academic sessions to prepare for school. Trips to UNM or CNM foster early college awareness. UNM has its own ENLACE program, Los Compañeros, which matches college students with middle and high schoolers. The students are tutored, offered counseling, and often, emotional support. The UNM program pays mentors a nominal fee. For more information call 277-5481.
Wise Men and Women
Since 1992, the Wise Men and Wise Women program of Youth Development Inc. (YDI) has worked within Albuquerque’s public schools, linking adult mentors to young people who might benefit from the oversight of a caring adult. Each year, about 20 APS elementary and middle schools provide adult mentors to young people. These screened and trained mentors choose the school where they want to work, and for one hour a week, make a difference in the life of a child. “They just help a child realize they are important,” says Sally Sosa, the program’s coordinator. “It helps them to know they are important to someone.” Thirty minutes of each hour is spent with academics and homework. The other 30 minutes is spent building a relationship with the child. “I’ve seen the kids grow,” says Sosa. “Everything improves.” That means better behavior, better academics, and more self-esteem. Matches are made by school counselors. Students meet with their mentors on school grounds, outside of the classroom. The mentoring program has proven such a success that it is now being offered in collaboration with the Peanut Butter and Jelly school for kids who have an incarcerated parent. For program information contact Sally Sosa at 271-2066.
Santa Fe
Mentor Moms
Catholic Charities of Santa Fe’s Mentor Moms program pairs young teen moms with successful, older women who were themselves once in the same situation of being single and coping with the multiple stresses of motherhood and completing school. Teen moms, who are either still in high school or completing their GEDs, are paired with trained mentors, who offer strategies for successful parenting. But there aren’t enough Mentor Moms to go around, says Tara Hansen, the program’s coordinator. The program actively seeks more. Five of the current mentors were once recipients of the program themselves, Hansen says. Most mentors are in their 20s. Teen moms enjoy the benefits of their mentors’ knowledge and thrive on the relationship, but there are other incentives as well: diapers, gift certificates and other positive rewards for staying connected to Mentor Moms. Benefits work both ways, however. It isn’t just that the teen moms benefit from the expertise of a mentor who has learned the ropes. The volunteers benefit by seeing themselves as role models. “It’s a really good way to make a difference in the lives of these young girls,” says Hansen. For more information, contact Catholic Charities at 424-9789 or email Hansen at hansent@ccasfnm.org
Warehouse 21, Santa Fe
http://www.warehouse21.org
At warehouse 21, teens learn through doing. Whether it’s learning how to be a local radio DJ, learning how to promote a concert, or whether it’s just about selling art, the warehouse is the place to be. Here’s a typical fall offering—Terran Lovewave mentors teens in how to be a DJ at Santa Fe Community College’s KSFR radio FM. W21’s specialty is offering Santa Fe youth the opportunity to express themselves. Teens learn by doing and coordinate their own success, overseen and supported by adults. The do it yourself atmosphere offers young people employment opportunities or ways to raise money or receive grants for their projects. Contact Ana Gallegos y Reinhardt, Executive Director, at ana@warehouse21.org or call 505-989-4423 for information.
(See our story on Warehouse 21 in this issue.)
Statewide
New Mexico Young Fathers Project
Springer, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces
NMYFP, a project of the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition, helps young fathers learn life skills in groups with other young fathers. Some fathers become peer mentors, educating young teens in preventing pregnancies, and in what it means to be a caregiver and nurturer.
Contact Carl Dellinger, Project Director at 254-8737 for information.
Sustainable Global Leadership Alliance
http://sgla.org/
Some teens know early on what they want to do. Many of them want to save the world, and often they have the energy to do it, but need the resources and training to know how to channel their dreams. The Sustainable Global Leadership Alliance provides teens with intensive, experiential, service learning opportunities that connect them with the tools to make a difference. The SGLA trains youth 17 to 21 to become global citizens and leaders by matching them with mentoring and intensive workshops. SGLA’s spring and summer workshops train teens in New Mexico and in India. In India, teens learn to put their skills to the test by creating a sustainable project. Tuition, mainly obtained through fund-raising activities, covers all aspects of the training, from visas and food to travel to and from India. Weekend workshops are based in the Albuquerque area. Applications for the summer’s intensive are due Feb. 15, but intensives are seasonal and ongoing. “The program is open to all kids,” says Executive Director Myra Murphy-Jacob. “We try to mix cultures, mix ideas, mix kids. That’s part of what makes the program so rich.” For information on the program, or to find out how to apply, contact Myra Murphy-Jacob at 286-6148.
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