Thank Your Mentor Day!!

Thank Your Mentor Day is January 25th!! Watch this video to see the 2010 Thank Your Mentor Day video from Cabrini Connections.

I hope you'll join me in expressing gratitude to personal mentors while also taking special note of the value of programs that connect caring adult mentors to youth who might not have the automatic support many of us (myself included) are blessed with at birth through loving parents, invested teachers, and supportive communities.

Thank You
to all mentors
and to all supporters of programs like Cabrini Connections.

2010 Thank Your Mentor Day from Cabrini Connections on Vimeo.

"'What are you doing for others?'" -MLK, Jr.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we pay tribute to the life and leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend, the recent shooting in Arizona is undoubtedly also on our minds. Sadly, this tragedy is a reminder that while our country has certainly progressed in many ways since MLK Jr.'s era, we are still far from the nation of nonviolent equality that this hero envisioned.

In addition to calling for nonviolent resistance and ending segregation, Martin Luther King, Jr. also fought strongly for economic equality. As he said: "The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

I think it's fitting that National Mentoring Month coincides with the date when we celebrate MLK Jr's life and leadership. Mentoring relationships often break down barriers of culture, generation and socioeconomic status while challenging assumptions and stereotypes. Through building intentional relationships, both mentors and mentees have an opportunity to build a new understanding of those from of different backgrounds, life experience, and/or takes on the world.

As we enjoy the long weekend, I hope we also take the time to reflect upon these words spoken by MLK Jr, taking them as a lifelong challenge: “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”

If the answer to this question leads you to want to explore tutoring or mentoring programs: find a program in Chicago, in another city, learn more about tutor/mentor programs and how they could use your help (no matter what your skills) through Tutor/Mentor Institute, or contact me so I can help you find what you need!

A Brief Snapshot of National Mentoring Month

"Across our Nation, mentors steer our youth through challenging times and support their journey into adulthood. During National Mentoring Month, we honor these important individuals who unlock the potential and nurture the talent of our country, and we encourage more Americans to reach out and mentor young people in their community."

-President Barack Obama, Presidential Proclamation, Dec. 21, 2010

It's the 10th Anniversary of National Mentoring Month, so let's take a look at what it's all about!

The History and Theory behind National Mentoring Month:

National Mentoring Month was launched in 2002 by Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership. Since its inception, these collaborating organizations have worked in conjunction with leaders and organizations throughout the country to create a public awareness campaign that helps more caring adults become involved in mentoring programs. As it says on the NMM website, "By focusing national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors, we assure brighter futures for our young people. "

Prominent Leaders Who Have Participated in National Mentoring Month:

• Maya Angelou
• Former President Bill Clinton
• Clint Eastwood, Academy Award Winner
  
• Senator John McCain
• General Colin L. Powell
• Bill Russell, five-time NBA Most Valuable Player
• Usher, Grammy-award winning R&B artist
• Oprah Winfrey
• The U.S. President and Congress (each year since NMM's inception in 2002)

How Can You Get Involved:

1. Reflect upon the people who have been mentors in your life and the impact they've had on you.Thank them personally and/or contact me with your note of gratitude to any of your mentors, and I'll post it here on my blog (Thank Your Mentor Day is January 25th!).
2. Learn more about mentoring and its impact. See the Tutor/Mentor Institute for a wide range of articles on the importance of mentoring, mentoring best practice, and how entire communities can get involved in supporting local programs.
3. Find programs in the neighborhoods where you work, live, or care about. Explore their individual website to learn about what these organizations are doing in your community. (see Program Locator for Chicago area programs, or search here for programs throughout the nation).
   
4. Partner with organizations in whatever way you can. If you find a program you think is doing important work in your community and you feel compelled, become a volunteer mentor. Or perhaps you can make a financial commitment to providing ongoing support to a particular program now and throughout the coming months.
5. Think strategically. How can you help more volunteers and donors reach programs in your neighborhoods? What can be done to get more businesses and those with means involved in mentoring programs? Join the brainstorm discussion through the TMC-hosted online forum on its NING page.
   

Say Thanks to the Mentors in Your Life!

It's only a few weeks until National Mentoring Month in January! The month is a way to recognize and celebrate the mentors in our lives, consider opportunities to volunteer as mentors, and support mentor programs and their life-changing impacts on youth.

In the weeks ahead, think about the people who have been mentors and role models in your life. Be they formal mentors, teachers, professors, coaches, relatives...the list certainly goes on. I invite you to write and share brief tributes to any of these individuals discussing the impact your mentors have had on you.

You can submit these tributes using this online form, and I will post any "mentor thank yous" on my blog in the days leading up to "Thank Your Mentor Day" on January 25th.