February 17th, 2010

2010 E-Mentoring Kicks-Off at Green, Linwood Monroe

Thursday, February 11 was the day that ACES seventh and eighth graders met with their E-Mentors, with whom they will communicate through the rest of the school year and hopefully beyond. The party is a casual introduction highlighted by get-to-know you activities, games, and pizza!

Of course, each and every day of ACES after-school, students enjoy informal mentoring from ACES staff and volunteers. The ACES E-Mentoring program provides a formal complement to this.

Jazmine, an eighth grader at Green Central School in south Minneapolis, had this to say about E-Mentoring. “I’m looking forward to E-Mentoring because I get to think about different types of jobs."

According to psychololgy professor Jean Rhodes, in her book Stand by Me, mentors can support at-risk adolescents in three important ways: enhancing their social skills, improving the cognitive skills through dialog and listening, and serving as a role model and advocate.

David, also an eighth grader at Green Central, sees an immediate benefit to his mentor/mentee relationship. "With E-Mentoring, we'll get another friend!"