National Mentorship Intitiative Launches in South Florida

WLRN Public Media | By Sammy Mack

Published February 20, 2016 at 8:09 PM EST

Josu Lafrance is one of the Miami participants in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence program

Acting U.S. Secretary of Education John King was in Miami on Friday to launch a new national mentorship effort to reduce absenteeism in school. It’s part of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative—a White House-supported project to close opportunity gaps among young men of color.

The mentoring initiative is a partnership between Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Department of Education. Miami is one of 10 launch cities. From the White House announcement:

“The MBK Success Mentors Initiative model connects students to caring adults who are trained school-linked personnel. These mentors will receive additional resources and tools to help them mentor students with greater impact. Mentors will include coaches, administrative staff, teachers, security guards, educators, AmeriCorps members, tutors, after-school providers and others. They will serve as trained and supported motivators, problem solvers, connectors and advocates to form supportive relationships, identify and celebrate student’s strengths, promote their attendance every day and connect them with the necessary supports to keep them on track and thriving. Each mentor is assigned 3-5 students as mentees. Mentors are also “connectors,” helping flag challenges causing absenteeism and connecting mentees to appropriate school personnel or resources through this system that would otherwise remain untapped. Mentors meet with students three times per week in school all year and are trained to find a mentee’s positive strengthens, celebrate them and call home as a parent engagement tool.”

Ultimately, said King, keeping kids in school is about keeping them away from violence and giving them options.

“We have to start by bringing the community together to lift up our young men,” he said.

King began the day at the My Brother’s Keeper Action Summit Breakfast in downtown Miami.

But before he could take a seat, King and other guests had to walk a path through two columns of young men. About 200 teenage boys lined the walkway from the lobby down to the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency. They were with the 5000 Role Models of Excellence, a local mentoring program started by South Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson.

Here’s what the guests saw when they walked in: