Meet Our National Mentoring Month Billboard Stars

Published

January is National Mentoring Month and you may have noticed that we're celebrating with some pretty exciting billboards all over town featuring some great local mentoring programs.  Take a look below to learn more about these programs and the amazing work they're doing in our community!

Amachi Pittsburgh

Amachi Pittsburgh was established in 2003 to respond to the needs of a growing, vulnerable population – children of incarcerated parents. The overwhelming sense of shame and societal stigma have kept these children hidden from our view and more than 8,500 children live and struggle right here in Allegheny County. Amachi Pittsburgh’s mission is to empower young minds to overcome the challenges of parental incarceration and to reach their full potential. As the only organization in Allegheny County with a distinct focus on this population, Amachi provides holistic support critical to strengthening families. Our scope of services includes:

  • One-on-One Mentoring to empower and support children, ages 4-18, by matching them with caring adult role models, to help break the generational cycle of incarceration. We ask that all volunteer mentors commit to mentoring a child for at least one year. During this time, mentors will be expected to meet for a minimum of 4 hours/month with their mentee. The bi-monthly activities are based on common interests and the desire for new experiences.

  • Family strengthening and reunification support to strengthen family ties that help reduce trauma for children and recidivism when parents are reentering society. Support consists of strengths-based activities in the home and community, as well as parenting and family classes. 

  • Amachi Ambassadors youth leadership development to empower constituents to raise awareness and become agents of change through the use of their powerful voices and compelling stories. Youth are trained to produce educational materials, facilitate workshops, and build a youth organizing movement. 

Overall, Amachi Pittsburgh mentees are thriving academically and socially. Parents/guardians reported that mentees are regularly attending school, meeting academic expectations, and are kind and considerate to peers and other adults. In addition, the majority of mentees exhibit self-control and are emotionally stable as described by parents and guardians, potentially reflecting the positive impact of the mentor/mentee relationship.

To learn more about Amachi Pittsburgh, please visit www.amachipgh.org or contact Natalie Meade, Program Director at (412) 281-1288, ext. 203 or nmeade@amachipgh.org.

The Center in Midland

The Center exists to equip and empower generations through Christ. We work to accomplish this mission by focusing on five key areas: programs for children & youth, adult programs, including food/clothing banks, summer camps, community partnerships and missional partnerships.

Mentoring is a focus of our ministry to the kids and youth. After school we use a group-based mentoring model for kids in K4-high school, providing tutoring, meals, and opportunities to grow spiritually and learn through classes in the visual arts, cooking, and mechanics. We also provide on-site peer mentoring in the arts, through music and dance. This year we launched our community-based one-on-one mentoring program, which allows our mentors to make an even greater investment in the life of a child.

For more information, please go to facebook.com/TheCenter.FourMilegofundme.com/The-Centerwww.fourmile.org/thecenter

email: thecenter@fourmile.org

South Hills Interfaith Movement

South Hills Interfaith Movement’s youth mentoring program is designed to foster the academic and emotional development of middle and high school students living in the Baldwin Whitehall area, empowering them to graduate from high school and achieve post-high school success in college or the workplace.

Many participating students are refugees from Nepal, Burma, Thailand and Sudan working to adapt to life in the U.S. Mentors join us for two hours, one evening a week, to plan fun activities, lead discussions about positive decision-making, and help students think about options for their futures. Using the group mentoring model allows the students to serve as helpful supports for one another, as well as to engage in meaningful relationships with adult mentors.

We serve 50-60 students each week. More info can be found at shimcares.org and on Facebook at South Hills Interfaith Movement – SHIM.

YouthWorks, Goodwill SWPA

YouthWorks HIRE Me focuses on work-readiness skills, career exploration opportunities and leadership development. HIRE Me is also a direct pipeline for entry into our HIRE summer employment program.

Participants will gain life-long skills through a combination of five critical areas of career development including; work-readiness training, career exploration, career mentoring, service learning, and certification attainment.

Additionally, students will have the opportunity to participate in supplemental post-secondary education and life skills workshop, which includes but is not limited to; college tours, financial aid resources, financial literacy and developing positive relationships.

For more information feel free to visit us at www.youthworksinc.org or call 412-281-6629 x4025.