>> MENTORING PROGRAMS AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BETWEEN A YOUNG PERSON AND AN UNRELATED ADULT CAN OFFER EMOTIONAL AND LIFE SKILL SUPPORT THAT KIDS MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE GET.

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT KIDS IN MENTOR SHIPS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND ENROLL IN COLLEGE.

HAVE LOWER RATES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND OVERALL REPORTS ABOUT HER FEELINGS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE.

A LOCAL MENTORSHIP ORGANIZATION SAYS THERE ARE ENOUGH MENTORS TO SUPPORT THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM.

ESPECIALLY LATINO AND BILINGUAL MENTORS.

JOINING US WITH MORE, [ SPEAKING GLOBAL LANGUAGE ], CLUB MANAGER AT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CHICAGO.

SHE SAID SHE IS A LINGUAL SITE BASED PROGRAM COORDINATOR AT BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS OF METRO CHICAGO.

AND APRIL CURTIS.

CHIEF OF STAFF AT YOUTH GUIDANCE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC, DEFINITELY, FOR THE YOUTH HERE IN CHICAGO.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

HOW DOES BROTHERS BIG SISTERS ACTUALLY HELP OFFER KIDS A BETTER OR BROADER PICTURE OF CAREER OPTIONS?

>> SO, WE HAVE MENTORING THAT HAPPENS WITH CORPORATE PARTNERS.

SO, WE PAIR UP YOUTH WITH ADULT MENTORS THAT WORK, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN.

THAT HAVE DIFFERENT JOBS LIKE ENGINEERING, I.T., BANKING.

IT GIVES THAT YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES TO, YOU KNOW, LEARN ABOUT OTHER JOBS THAT THEY MAYBE WOULDN'T USUALLY KNOW ABOUT.

>> LATER ON WE WILL TALK ABOUT HOW THOSE MATCHES ARE BETWEEN A LITTLE AND A BIG.

RIGHT?

I KNOW THEY'RE BIG ON THAT.

APRIL, YOUTH GUIDANCE ADMINISTRATION IS BECOMING A MAN AND WORKING ON WOMANHOOD PROGRAMS.

COULD YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT?

>> BOTH PROGRAMS ARE INTENSIVE TRAUMA INFORMED PROGRAMS TO ADD YOUNG MEN AND YOUNG WOMEN THAT IS SCHOOL-BASED AND IS THROUGHOUT THE CITY CITY OF CHICAGO.

AND IN ALL THE SCHOOLS ACROSS CHICAGO.

AND THEY ARE INTENSIVE.

AND THEY ARE WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND PAIRING THEM UP IN GROUP SETTINGS WITH A THEM OR A WELL COUNSELOR.

AND IT SUPPORTS THEM WITHIN THE SCHOOL-BASED SETTING AND HELPS WITH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL COGNITIVE SKILLS THAT HELP THEM ON A TWO-YEAR TRAJECTORY AND SUPPORTING THEM THERE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL SKILLS.

>> IN THAT CLUB OF CHICAGO, THAT IS LOT OF ACADEMIC FOCUS.

HOW DOES THAT FIT?

>> THE FOCUS ALSO HAS LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.

AND ALSO HEALTHY HABITS AS WELL.

SO WE DO HAVE A YOUTH SPECIALIST THERE WITH THE KIDS AND HELPS THEM WITH THEIR HOMEWORK AND ANY OTHER EXTRA NEEDS AS WELL.

BUT WE HAVE MORE THAN JUST ACADEMICS.

>> OKAY.

WAS AT, HOW IMPORTANT IS LANGUAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORING OF RELATIONSHIPS?

>> I WOULD SAY IT IS PRETTY IMPORTANT.

A LOT OF THE YOUTH THAT WE SERVE OUR FIRST GENERATION AMERICAN.

AND AT HOME, YOU KNOW, PARENTS ONLY SPEAK SPANISH.

SO, YOUTH ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR MENTORS THAT THEY CAN COMMUNICATE WITH IN BOTH LANGUAGES, RIGHT?

SO IT IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT FOR THEM, CULTURALLY, TO HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THEM THEIR MENTOR.

THEY'RE BIG BROTHER OR BIG SISTER.

>> RIGHT.

APRIL, HOW CAN A MENTOR SHIP ACTUALLY SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLES DEVELOPED IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS?

>> WELL, FOR THEM, THEY GET TO SEE WHO THEY CAN RELATE TO AND DEVELOP EVEN FURTHER THE RELATIONAL SKILLS OF DEVELOPING, INTERVIEWING SKILLS, HOW TO IDENTIFY THEIR EMOTIONS, SELF-REGULATION, IDENTIFYING THEIR ANGER.

IDENTIFYING THAT IT IS OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY, WORKING WITH THEIR SADNESS OR HAPPINESS, IDENTIFYING THEIR DIFFERENT CUES IN LIFE AND WHAT IT MEANS TO JUST WORK THROUGH THEIR EMOTIONS.

THERE IS A HAPPY MOMENT AND A SAD MOMENT AND WORKING WITH SELF-REGULATION IN THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM.

>> HOW MUCH NEEDS DOOZY FOR ACTUALLY LATINO MENTORS?

IS THERE A SHORTAGE?

>> I THINK THERE IS.

BUT I THINK WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION WE HAVE, WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE THE DIVERSITY AMONG THE LATINOS.

AND ALSO AMONG OUR CLUBS, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE DO ACADEMIC.

AND CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP AND ALSO LIFESTYLE.

SO I THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR MORE LATINOS.

>> WHAT IS GOING ON?

I KNOW IN YOUR CONVERSATION YOU FACE THE SAME ISSUE.

THERE IS A LACK OF LATINO MENTOR SHIPS.

AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN AS WELL.

HOW DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION VIEW THIS?

>> SO, WE DO OUR ORGANIZATION SERVE ALMOST ABOUT 90% OF PEOPLE OF COLOR.

AND OUR YOUTH, OUR PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND FOR THE MENTORS, WE ARE LOOKING AT ABOUT 30% OR FEWER OF ADULTS COLOR.

SO, WE HAVE CONNECTED WITH ORGANIZATIONS, WITH OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT DI E-GROUPS WITHIN THEIR COMPANY.

SO THAT WE CAN PUSH OUT A, YOU KNOW, A RECRUITMENT EFFORT FOR THOSE BLACK AND BROWN.

>> IF YOU GO ANY FURTHER, OTHER ANY MORE WOMEN THAN MEN?

>> YES.

YEAH.

SO FOR MYSELF, IN OUR PROGRAMMING, WE HAVE ABOUT 9% OF ADULTS, OF BOTH PEOPLE OF COLOR.

9% ARE MEN.

>> AND WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A MENTOR?

>> FOR A MENTOR WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THAT IS WILLING TO GROW A RELATIONSHIP WITH A YOUTH THAT MAY BE OF SIMILAR BACKGROUND OR MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT CULTURE.

THAT IS INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPORTS, DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES.

SOMEONE THAT IS REALLY OPEN TO NOT ONLY SHARING ABOUT THEIR LIFE, LEARNING ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S SKILLS OR STRUGGLES.

>> AND EXPERIENCES SHARED APRIL, WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A SUCCESSFUL MENTORSHIP ORGANIZATION?

>> SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO BE THERE CONSISTENTLY.

AND WHO IS GOING TO INSIST SHOW UP.

AND JUST BE GENUINE WITH THEM.

AND WILLING TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND SHOW THEM SOMETHING NEW.

A LOT OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR EXPOSURE.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

AND BUILD A RELATIONSHIP.

>> WE HAVE LESS THAN A MINUTE BUT I DO WANT TO ASK WHAT DUTY MENTEES TELL YOU THAT THEY HAVE GAINED FROM THE MENTOR SHIP?

>> THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT IT HAS CHANGED THEIR LIFE.

THEY HAVE CREATED A BOND THAT THEY NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT.

THEY ARE SO INTO THEIR OWN CIRCLE.

BUT, AGAIN, THE EXPOSURE, WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN LIKE SAID.

WHAT DIFFERENT PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE WHAT YOU KNOW, IN THEIR LIFE.

I CAN TELL YOU SOMETIMES THE MENTOR ENDS UP ACTUALLY GETTING MORE FROM THAT RELATIONSHIP.

I WAS IN BIG BROTHER MYSELF A FEW YEARS BACK.

AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES I HAVE HAD.

SO, DEFINITELY FOR YOUNG