Mentor: An experienced and trusted advisor.
To mentor: To advise or train (especially a younger colleague
Mentors make a world of difference in the lives of Jovenes Adealnte’s university students, local Mexican honors students who are striving through their university scholarships to break their families’ cycles of historic economic disparity.
Each month, JA mentors meet with their students, whose majors range from aerospace engineering to administration to tourism. They then report online to share what they have learned, things such as the student has been offered an international internship, the student has a family situation that the JA psychology team might need to investigate, that the student is not the boss’s surrogate and needs immediate training in human resources.
“It is our responsibility to share our experience with the new generations,” said one JA mentor.
“Mentoring is my desire to see these young boys and girls rise,” said another.
JA, with the help of generous sponsors, will put as many as 29 local Mexican honors students into university this fall. Each will be given a monthly stipend for his/her typically five-year university program; a laptop appropriate to the student’s major; a mentor; life skills trainings such as presentation skills, problem solving skills, and change management skills; access to free psychological counseling by Mexican male and/or female psychologists; access to free English tutoring; and access to a graduate network to help them along the way and beyond.
We currently have 20 mentors lined up for these students, but we will need more. If you are interested in this life-enriching experience, please contact JA Mentor Coordinator Jorge Philippe at [email protected]. “We are seeking mentors who speak Spanish and are interested in promising young people in all the majors our students have,” said Philippe. “Our mentors are older, younger, Mexican, and expat, the common bond being an interest in our students,” he concluded.
JA will hold student orientation and mentor matching in late July, and there are only a few mentor slots left, so get in touch as soon as you identify your interest in order to take advantage of this opportunity to make and to become part of a world of difference!
For more information about Jovenes Adelante or sponsoring a student, contact President Robin Loving at [email protected], 925-476-8117 (US/Canada), 415-112=3413 (SMA), and/or JovenesAdelante.org.
By Robin Loving