Project Ready Mentor

The guidance and support of good mentors are critical to success at every stage of life. Students who have the benefit of strong mentors are more likely to maintain focus, earn higher grades, finish high school, and proceed onto college.

Project Ready Mentor targets African Americans and other urban youth, ages 11 – 18, who are particularly vulnerable to disengagement from school, community, and the workforce. The program helps students succeed academically and grow socially through the development of essential life skilled and effective work habits.

Performance in the classroom is an important indicator of life success, but academics is only part of a larger picture. The National Urban League dedicates resources to a range of supports, services, and opportunities to help young people develop into well rounded, productive, and responsible adults.

Our Approach:

Project Ready Mentor provides these resources and supports via two approaches:

  1. The Relational Approach builds a trusted relationship between mentor and mentee via mutually interesting activities, such as reading or volunteerism.
  2. The Instrumental Approach encourages growth and learning through Project Ready activities, such as mentor-mentee college visits, shared technology projects (building a robot, for example), or developing a small business/entrepreneur plan together.