Mentorship: Celebrating the 2023-2024 Program
Summer vacation is almost here, but some EastSide Charter students got an early opportunity to have some fun. On June 5, students, staff, and mentors laced up their skates for a roller skate party at Christiana Skating Rink to celebrate the conclusion of this year’s Mentorship program.
More than 40 students attended the event and skated to their favorite jams, played games, and ate pizza. Several mentors and EastSide staff members also joined the students on the rink, while others cheered from the sidelines.
The Mentorship program runs from October to May and typically concludes with a fun closeout activity in June. Students in grades 2-8 can participate and be matched with mentors from local businesses including Barclays, EDiS Company, and CSC as well as EastSide staff members and independent contractors. Mentors typically meet with their mentees on a weekly basis and help them with academic assignments, participate in games and activities, and help them create artwork.
Brittney Bowman, EastSide’s Mentor Coordinator said that she was really pleased with the outcome of this year’s program. “The turnout every week was great for the mentors this year,” she said. We had about 15-20 new pairs of students and the bonds are already so strong they are requesting the same students for next year!”
In addition to helping students with their academics, mentors also serve as role models and help equip their mentees with life skills that aid in their success. Studies show that there are numerous long-term and short-term benefits of having a mentor while in school. These include increased high school graduation rates, improved behavior, enhanced self-esteem and confidence, and more.
“I believe mentoring is important for students because every child needs a safe adult that can guide them and advocate on their behalf,” Brittney said. “To just have someone listen judgement-free and spend time is something a lot of kids are missing. They look forward to meeting with their mentors every week.”
Student mentor Deonta Martin, who works at EDiS as a Project Engineer said he enjoys being a mentor because he gets to show students that it’s truly possible to live your dreams. “Simply, my whole life people would always tell me I could be what I want,” he said. All I ever wanted to do was build things and now [students] can see that I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do.”
He added that he also enjoys helping his mentees stay on the right path in life. “[I enjoy] helping to influence them in a positive way because we can continue to be leaders in the community instead of falling victim to circumstances,” he said.
Joanne Lennon, an Executive Assistant at Barclays, has been a mentor since EastSide first opened its doors in 1997. She said she’s enjoyed watching the children she’s mentored grow and evolve each year. Like Deonta, she explained that she also enjoys mentoring because she gets the opportunity to motivate students to achieve what they want in life.
“I [enjoy] helping them and guiding them and explaining to them that they are important in this world, and they are loved,” she said. They can be anything they want to be. There are no limits to their capabilities.”
