Program Components & Initiatives

Anti-Violence

Healthy Lifestyles & Self Esteem

Financial Literacy

Arts

Career Development

Anti-Violence Initiative: BRAVE Juliana Training Program (Bias Related Anti-Violence Education)

The BRAVE Juliana (Bias Related Anti-Violence Education) program, with specialty basic training for our volunteer mentors, is working to teach mentees to live without hate and bullying via positive-adult mentors. The program was renamed in honor of Juliana McCourt, a 4 year old girl whose life was lost with her mother Ruth on United Airlines Flight 175 on September 11, 2001.

The objectives of the BRAVE Juliana program are to: Encourage awareness of American history including the immigration of people (past and present) who move to America; Improve awareness and respect for the diversity of people in New York City and America; and foster awareness of cultural, religious, socio-economic and sexual identity differences in a global community; Reaffirm a knowledge and respect for one's own culture and heritage in order to appreciate and respect the culture and heritage of others; Empower our children to see themselves as individuals who can make a positive impact in their lives and in their communities; Encourage a sense of compassion and respect for people as well as emphasizing strategic communication skills as an effective means to resolve conflict. The goal of BRAVE Juliana is to measurably improve a child's chance of living a more harmonious, peaceful and productive life.

Healthy Lifestyles & Self-Esteem

Mentoring USA's Healthy Lifestyle & Self Esteem initiative aims to have the mentor serve as a model for healthy lifestyle choices and to help increase the mentees self-confidence.  According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 3 US children are overweight while 15% are obese.  Knowing the impact of poor food choices and physical inactivity, Mentoring USA's Healthy Lifestyles and Self-Esteem initiative provides interactive activities to increase a child's knowledge about nutrition, diet, physical activity, and the importance of sustainable health habits.  This initiative is supported through partnerships with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Dr. Mehmet Oz's HealthCorps, the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and NIKE. 

Financial Literacy

The Financial Literacy initiative of Mentoring USA is working to teach children the fundamentals of how to manage, budget, save, spend, and invest money.  Supported by alliances including the NASDAQ Educational Foundation, Operation Hope, Citi, and NYU Stern, the goal of Financial Literacy is to measurably improve a child's chance of realizing financial independence.  Mentors and mentees utilize the Citigroup Financial Education Curriculum, Mentoring USA financial literacy activities with guest speakers and facilitators.  Mentoring USA is also the mentoring provider for the Youth Financial Empowerment (YFE) Program in NYC. Through partnership with New Yorkers for Children, Citi, United Way, and the New York City Administration for Children's Services, this program provides financial literacy and mentoring for youth aging out of the foster care system.

Arts

Mentoring USA's Arts Initiative is made possible in part by Material for the Arts, a NYC based non-profit that provides art supplies to organizations in need. Mentoring USA uses art projects to create bonds between mentors & mentees in the early stages of their relationship.  The projects allow the mentoring match to work together and are a means of eliciting meaningful conversation.  Likewise, we recognize that many youth are talented artists, yet they rarely have the opportunity to express themselves creatively due to the cut-backs in art programs in schools.  Therefore, we encourage mentors to aid in their mentee's artistic development-via any means of creative expression.

The Arts Initiative has also been utilized as a means of giving back to the community and teaching mentees the benefit of volunteering. Mentors & mentees have collaborated on projects (i.e. stuffed animals) that have then been donated to children's hospitals. Ultimately, the benefits of the Art Initiative enrich the mentee and mentor relationship and serve as a platform to inspire the altruistic spirit of giving back to the community, which in turn fulfills the goals of nurturing mentoring relationships and inspiring volunteerism.

Career Development Initiative

The Career Development Initiative links adolescents throughout Mentoring USA's programs to career and educational opportunities.  Mentees are given the tools to seize those opportunities in order to increase their chances of a self-sufficient and successful future. The Career Program Manager delivers job readiness and placement services supported by the one-to-one relationship between mentor and mentee.  Mentors help their mentee create an age appropriate "plan of action" where the mentee sets educational, vocational and/or career goals for themselves.