Council backs YMCA mentoring program
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 10, 2017 5:50 AM
Ninth-grade Goldsboro High School students could be matched with adult mentors as early as September through a Goldsboro Family YMCA program modeled after Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
The Goldsboro City Council threw its support behind the mentorship opportunity and voted Monday to provide $35,000 to the YMCA for the program, estimated to cost a total of $50,000 in its first year, said John Richards, YMCA chief executive officer.
The funding will pay for a full-time program coordinator and four special activities per year for the mentors and mentees. Special activities can include such things as an area baseball game, Richards said.
The city grant will come from fund balance reserves or the Community Development Block Grant, said Scott Stevens, city manager.
"I think we will definitely find the funds . . .," Stevens told the council during a Monday work session. "It does affect other things involved in the city, but helping kids and mentoring programs that seem to work, to me, they tend to be effective, and they're a good use of funds."
The program expands the YMCA's current Wayne Area Role Models mentoring program, which serves YMCA membership families. The expanded program will place a primary focus on Goldsboro High ninth graders, in an effort to help students succeed during their high school years.
A recent YMCA community needs assessment survey identified the need for the program, Richards said. Connecting mentors to Goldsboro High students is also in line with the YMCA's mission in the community.
"We felt we needed to be a part of the solution for Goldsboro High School," he said. "To me, we have an opportunity for youth development and social responsibility in the Goldsboro High School community."
Quality education, resources and an improved school environment at Goldsboro High have more recently become areas of focus for elected leaders, educators and members of the community.
The city council's support is tied to the location of the school, in the center of Goldsboro, and the council's interest in helping students succeed, Stevens said.
"I think they're very sensitive to helping kids," Stevens said. "I think (mentoring) has been shown to be successful to help kids through school."
The YMCA's program will be modeled after Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which seeks to provide children with caring role models, Richards said. Adult male and female mentors will be matched with boys and girls attending Goldsboro High, Richards said.
At least 30 mentors will be needed, and the YMCA is partnering with several area churches, which will recruit mentors from the area. Five to six churches, already involved in the city's Our Community Cares outreach program, are partnering with the YMCA.
Program applicants will receive a background check and four hours of training.
"Our intention is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for the mentor and mentee," Richards said.
Mentors will be asked to commit four years to the program, in an effort to follow students from ninth grade to graduation, Richards said.
At least 30 ninth-grade students have already been identified by school officials as potentially benefiting from the program.
"In talking with the folks at the school administration office, they have identified 30, and that's based on prior behavior, prior attendance, prior grades," Richards said. "Any ninth grader that feels they need that mentoring component or any parent of a ninth grader, we will work to do that, to provide those services."
The YMCA plans to hire the full-time program coordinator this week, and mentors will be matched with students after Labor Day. The success of the program will be measured by a student's academic performance, attendance and behavior.