Translator: Jennifer Zhang Reviewer: Denise RQ
I'm excited to be here this afternoon.
I've heard a few people mention mentoring in their talks,
which is very exciting for me because I'm here to talk about
how we can leverage mentoring to reshape our communities.
I'm here because I'm really concerned, like many of you,
about the state of children today.
It seems everywhere you turn,
there are stories and statistics about child poverty and its impact on education,
substance abuse, mental health and youth violence.
For one individual, it can be completely overwhelming to even begin to think about
how we can begin to solve these issues.
But, mentoring provides a proven strategy
that increases successful outcomes for young people,
and for individuals, it provides a way for us to become a part of the solution.
Now, as a kid, I was fortunate to have a strong role model in my mother.
She taught me invaluable lessons like the importance of hard work,
integrity, and having respect for myself and others.
But as a single mom, she also had to make sacrifices
to provide for my brother and me,
and sometimes, those sacrifices included working two jobs to put food on the table,
and to give us a great education.
So, after school and during summers,
I spent time in mentoring programs.
It was these experiences that gave me a true appreciation
for the value of human connection and what that can do for a person's life.
I met my first mentor when I was 6 years old.
Her name was Star.
We both went to the Boys and Girls Club,
and Star taught me things like, how to double dutch,
she ate lunch with me,
and she very patiently listened to my stories
about the dramatic and arduous life of a first grader.
Now, since Star, I've been fortunate to have many mentors,
who had invested and helped me fulfill my dreams,
and I've paid it forward by volunteering as a mentor myself over the last 8 years.
And we know from the data that mentoring works.
The data shows us that kids with mentors are less likely to use drugs and alcohol,
they are less likely to skip a day of class or school,
and they also experience improved relationships
with their peers and family members.
There are a lot of definitions out there for what a mentor is
and when I talk to people who are considering becoming mentors,
I find that they have this grant vision of a mentor is someone is all-knowing
(Laughter)
and has all of the answers that you need along your journey.
And when this is your view of what a mentor is,
it can be easy to feel imitated at the thought of becoming a mentor.
But the truth is, mentoring is just a relationship.
And so, my definition of mentoring is:
a personal connection that's defined by several things,
like reciprocity, mutual respect, shared values.
And I like this definition
because nowhere in here does it say what type of degree you need to have,
what type of job you need to have,
or even how old you have to be.
Over the years, the thing that I've learned about mentoring
is that it's more about being present, than being perfect.
With that said, there is a caveat.
Finding the right match as a mentor can be tricky.
Studies show that the average mentoring match lasts only a few months,
which is troubling,
because the data shows that the most effective mentoring matches
actually last a year or longer.
And so the big question that I asked myself back in December of 2012 is:
well, how do we make sure that people like you and me
who want to be mentors get really great matches?
And then,
how do we also support organizations who are running these programs,
to make sure they have the capacity they need
to provide great outcomes?
And this is the question that led me to dawn my start-up MentorMe.
We are leveraging technology to provide organizations with the platform
that can create strong matches between mentors and mentees,
and also help organizations operate effectively,
so that they can provide great outcomes, or young people and professionals.
As we all know, the need for mentors doesn't end in our childhood.
Even today as an entrepreneur, I benefit from mentorship.
But when I think back to what inspired me to start MentorMe,
it was those relationships that I formed early on.
Relationships with people like Star.
When I thought about the theme of today's talks, "Fertile ground,"
I thought about how important the word 'fertile' is for mentoring.
It's defined as to be producing or to be capable of producing abundance.
So it has less to do with what can be seen on the surface,
and more to do with the quality of what's been planted within.
Now, we know from the statistics
that we heard earlier in some of the other talks,
that we don't all start out on a level playing field.
Sometimes, it does take someone else to come along,
and plant the seeds we need to grow into the greatest version of ourselves.
And chances are, if you are sitting in this room,
there's been someone in your life who's invested in you, who's mentored you,
to help you fulfill your goals.
But, unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.
Studies show that in the US,
there are 18 million kids who want and need a mentor.
But, only 3 million kids have a formal mentor.
This gap between the 3 million kids with mentors,
and the 15 million kids who are still waiting,
is known as the mentoring gap.
When I think about the proven impact of mentoring,
I can't help but wonder what would happen,
if we all shifted the way we view mentoring relationships
from something formed by happen stance, or a product of privilege,
to something that can be used as a tool to actually strengthen our communities.
What would happen if we took some of that focus
that cities have on attracting young talent to their cities,
and shifted some of that energy to actually investing
in the young talent that's already there?
What if, along with great neighborhoods and great schools,
every child was given a great mentor?
Because every child deserves to have a partner in their success.
And so, I'm issuing a challenge to everyone here today:
I know the holidays are approaching,
and many of you are thinking about your goals for the new year.
Well, January happens to be National Mentoring Month,
and so I'm asking those of you
who aren't already to consider pledging in 2015,
to reach back and invest in a young person in your community.
I'm not going to lie, working with young people can be challenging.
I've certainly had some trying times as a mentor,
but often, what I find is that kids who are labelled as difficult,
are really the ones who want and need that connection the most.
And when I think back
on all of the skills and the knowledge that I've gained from mentors,
the greatest gift I find that they've given me
is that sense of knowing that someone, who had no obligation to do so whatsoever,
took the time to invest in me.
Think about the sense of self worth, and the sense of appreciation and pride
that can instill in a young person.
Something that simply cannot be erased.
So as individuals, we may not be able to eradicate poverty,
we may not be able to wipe out youth violence, as one person.
But we can all start where we are, reach back,
find a young person to invest in,
and then collectively,
we can all be a part of providing a brighter future for the next generation.
Thank you.
(Applause)