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The Daily Tar Heel

Tutors reign supreme: Mentoring program has seen great success, is an example of positive involvement in education

A local school program that seeks to increase educational achievement among minorities is a great way to get involved in the community.

The Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program, which began in 1995, is provided through Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and currently has more than 100 mentors.

These volunteers spend two hours per week providing one-on-one visits with the mentee for a minimum of two years. The purpose of the program is to provide these students with the academic and personal support they might be lacking.

More information:


contact Graig Meyer
Program Director
(919) 918-2170
gmeyer@chccs.k12.nc.us

 

Most of the students are from low-income families and more than half of them are from single-parent households.

The students are selected because they have some untapped potential in an academic, social, physical or other area.

What makes this program unique and impressive is that mentors invest more time into their mentees than in more traditional programs.

Although individual volunteers are only asked to stay with the student for two years, the program seeks to provide mentors for the student from fourth grade until high school graduation.

In fact, 60 percent of students involved in the program have had the same mentor from fourth grade until graduation.

The program’s success speaks for itself. More than 95 percent of students enrolled in the program have graduated from high school, and of that group, all of them have enrolled in post-secondary education.

Students, teachers or anybody looking to get more involved within the community should take a serious look at this program.

The program’s success has demonstrated what an impact a few hours a week can have in the lives of underprivileged youth.

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