Big Brothers Big Sisters - Mentor2.0 - Are You Up for a Challenge?

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What is mentor2.0?

Mentor2.0 matches high school students with college-educated mentors and provides them with the support and guidance they need to graduate high school and succeed in college and the workforce. Mentor/mentee matches get to know each other through an innovative combination of weekly messages (via a secure web-based platform) and monthly group events at the high school that mentor2.0 organizes and hosts.

Why mentor2.0?

Nationally, low-income students:

* have an average college enrollment rate of 50%. Mentor2.0 students averaged 75%.

* have an average second year college persistence rate of 66%, while mentor2.0 students averaged 83%.

* graduate college within 4 years at the rate of only 8%. This rate jumps to 42% for mentor2.0 students.

* The average student to counselor ratio in the U.S. is 471 : 1, with mentor2.0 every student has a college graduate dedicated to their success

The mentor2.0 Curriculum

Mentor2.0 students attend a weekly class session to work through a research-based curriculum as well as spend time messaging their mentor. The curriculum creates a baseline of conversations and activities for all matches. It covers non-cognitive skills necessary for college success such as perseverance, critical thinking, help seeking and self-advocacy, and optimism/excitement about the future. It will also cover college knowledge such as college selection, applications, and financial aid.

The curriculum is designed to transform volunteers into effective advocates for their mentees by providing what to say and when to say it, reducing the variability among mentors. The curriculum also provides mentors with tools and resources to effectively support students as they work together on each of the competencies mentor2.0 has identified.

What do mentors do?

* Send one weekly message on an interesting topic that mentor2.0 provides.

* See your mentee once a month for two hours at a mentor2.0 sponsored evening event.

Mentor requirements:

* All mentors must be at least 21 years of age and college-educated (2+ year degree).

* Celebrate your mentee’s graduation by mentoring them through 2 or 3 years of high school (depending on if the student begins mentor2.0 as a junior or a sophomore), as well as 1 year of post-secondary ("remote" mentoring due to a variety of scenarios for where mentees may go after high school).

* Commit to sending one weekly interactice message on an interesting topic that mentor2.0 provides through the mentor2.0 platform.

* Commit to seeing your mentee once a month for 2 hours at a mentor2.0 facilitated after-school event at their school from 6pm-8pm.