Mentoring
Makes a Difference
By Denise Plemmons
T
wenty‐five years ago, a small group of people from the
Barrow Elementary School PTA saw that there was a need to
do something to increase the Clarke County gradua on rate
and the number of students who were prepared for
employment or post‐secondary educa on. The idea of mentors is what
evolved. The PTA joined forces with the Clarke County School District,
Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, and the community and began
their plans for the Clarke County Mentor Program (CCMP). They started
out with a group of 20 mentors and paired them with 20 students from
three schools. Today, CCMP has more than 425 mentors who mentor at
all 21 Clarke County Schools.
The CCMP recruits, trains, and coordinates their mentors who are
making a posi ve difference in the lives of the children they mentor. By
sharing fun ac vi es and exposing them to new experiences, mentors
encourage posi ve choices, promote self‐esteem, and support
academic achievement. If you ask any teacher in Clarke County they will
tell you that mentored students have be er school a endance, fewer
behavioral problems, be er a tudes toward school, a be er likelihood
of going on to higher educa on and less risky behavior such as
substance abuse than comparable non‐mentored students. Having a
mentor empowers young people to make smart choices such as
finishing homework, having healthy social interac ons, or just to say no
when it counts. Through mentoring students gain the opportunity to
acquire the skills, knowledge, and work habits that they need to
succeed in the workplace and in life.
“Without a mentor I wouldn’t be the man I am today,” shared Lawrence
Harris who is Director of College & Career Planning for the Clarke
County School District, CEO of the Athens Community Career Academy,
and is developing The College Factory, a nonprofit commi ed to the
building of a college‐going culture. Harris was the keynote speaker for
the CCMP’s Annual Fundraising Breakfast on January 20th. As a first‐
genera on college student he had to work two part‐ me jobs just to
make ends meet. At one point, he had to leave school for a year while
he helped support his mother and his younger brother. He is now
returning the gi that his mentors gave him as he has made it his
mission to help other young people like him graduate. In Harris’ speech
he compared mentoring to making lemonade. “People always say,
‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’” but what if you don’t
have the recipe or maybe the wrong recipe ,” he says. Mentors can help
students make the right choices or help guide them on the right path.
But mentoring isn’t about coming to a child’s rescue. Mentor Kirk Smith
expressed, “My mentee didn’t need me to come in and save him. He
just needed someone to give him direc on. And during our me he has
given me direc on too.” Mentoring rela onships are a shared
opportunity for learning and growth. Many mentors say that the
rewards they gain are as great as those for their mentees, and that
mentoring has helped them to learn how to have fun again and learn
more about themselves. Mentors are o en exposed to different
cultures and gain a be er understanding and apprecia on for diversity.
They o en find themselves to be more produc ve and have a be er
a tude at work. It can even enhance their rela onships with their own
children.
Beer kegs wai ng to be filled.
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