Dreams and Goals

Before we began, we started with the signing of the first chapter under the Guardian Fellowship. As of now, the Mega Minds is an official chapter, signed into decree by all of the founding members and our executive staff.

What is the difference between our Dreams and Goals?

Today we took a look at the things we were passionate about. In doing so we discovered that our dreams where infinite, and with out boundaries. Our goals on the other hand, they could be practical and impractical.

We discovered through our lesson plan that our dreams dictate our goals. We ended the lesson by writing our own personal statements, to which everyone kept.

Next week we’ll be starting to examine difference cultures around the world.

What is mentoring?

I began thinking the other day how best I could explain what it is we are trying to do. Today the word ‘Mentor” has evolved to include a vast array of relationships and as such has become too vague a word.  The best way I can think of explaining the relationship between mentor and a mentee is to compare it to the relationship shared by those who own therapy dogs.

A therapy dog is used to help someone cope with high anxiety and has become an increasingly popular method of helping our vets coming back with PTSD. The relationship is utterly fascinating however, because the dog, by nature of just being the lovable, loyal and friendly creature it is, is able to benefit its owner. Likewise, it owner, by nature of just being him or herself is able to fill the need of the dog to have an owner and someone to love it as well. (Let me point out, there is allot of training that the dog undergoes so please do not think I’m downplaying the training and vast importance of a service dog in comparison to normal dogs).

That is the mentoring relationship: A mutually benefiting, meaningful relationship derived simply by parties being themselves, for the betterment of both parties.

Today we spent some time getting to know each other and creating a space which can call our own. We concluded our session with watching an inspirational video. It went so well today, that even after their school instructor told them they were dismissed, not one person left. Everyone stayed to finish the session.

Mentoring with our Mentors

Our Mentors watching a clip on success

What makes our program so powerful is that every session is specifically designed to help both the mentor and mentee. Today, as Communities in Schools paired our mentors with the kids, we took a day to focus on our mentors and discuss their dreams and aspirations. They drew life maps and then watched a very motivational video on success.

For their assignments, each mentor was assigned to compile 10 pictures or less which described them. Next week we begin mentoring the children.

To see our mentors pictures, visit our page on facebook.

End of Semester Party

Today we had our end of semester party with the students. It was a great conclusion to the program. We brought in various snacks and had one on one time with our mentees.  The mentors and mentees were also able to record videos about the program, look for those on the site soon.

I’d like to thank Jason and Ms. Lloyd for making this program a success. Also thanks to everyone at The Center for Alternative Education who made this possible.

One- One mentoring

One-on-mentoring gave the mentors and mentees to have a conversation, and learn more about each other. These conversations broke the ice, and allowed the mentees to open up and express themselves.

Great conversations!

Marketing Experience

One final marketing strategy for the team, was the reflection of the mentors/mentees Guardian Fellowship program on camera. One of the ways we reflected was we had everyone share their thoughts about the Guardian Fellowship on film; discuss what they have liked, what they have learned, and if they wish to join the organization in the future. Creating this film will serve as a marketing tactic to persuade other students (mentees) to join the program.

We also launched our Facebook page, which has increased our exposure to college students. We hope to grow the page to a larger audience, so we can recruit more students for the organization.

College Experiences

This week we talked about the “college experience”. We shared with the mentors our experiences in college and how we transitioned from high school to college. The mentees asked a variety of questions everything from academic questions like, “Is there a lot of home work?” to “What are frat parties like?”. The questions and answers ultimately reiterated the importance of personal responsibility. We agreed that being a college student is a lot like being Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility….”

Newark Museum

This week we took the students to Visit the Newark Museum. We admired the modern art exhibit; the students especially enjoyed looking at mobiles by Calder. There were also two other exhibits the students enjoyed, the first was a mini zoo with animals from the rain forest. The second was an exhibit about the history of money. The students were able to see the evolution of money and learn the basics of saving, credit, and modern banking.

Financing Higher Education

This was an informative session. We discussed one of the most daunting aspects of higher education, financing it. We presented information to the mentees about the FAFSA, and the many types of financial support colleges offer from loans to grants to work study programs. The mentors also shared some of the ways they were paying for school. The mentees were a little intimated by the complexities at first, but as a group we worked through the confusion.

Overcoming Challenges

At this session we had the students fill out surveys about the challenges they face. We prioritized the challenges and then talked about the causes and solutions to these difficulties.  We found that both the mentors and mentees face similar economic and academic challenges.  Together we discussed ideas on everything from saving money to not procrastinating on homework assignments. The discussion brought the mentors and mentees closer together and reiterated the role of personal responsibility in overcoming challenges.