Are you still unsure of what your New Year’s Resolution will be? If you’re looking for a way to stay jolly and give back this year, January is a great time to start because it’s National Mentoring Month. This initiative invented by the National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health aims to educate young people in various fields, and work with them in various ways. According to The University of Memphis, approximately 46.9 percent of children in Memphis live below the poverty line. We’d like to take this time to let you know of some organizations looking for mentors within the Memphis community, and how you can help.
Agricenter International
Agricenter International educates approximately 4,000 students per year on the importance of agricultural research through school field trips and other initiatives. Some mentoring events include Project WILD, where educators can attend workshops and gain the hands on experience and confidence to work with their students and incorporate Project WILD workshops into lesson plans.
The Consortium MMT
Source: Facebook.com/consortiummmt
The Consortium is home to the SoulRight Music Mentorship Program, which pairs aspiring songwriters, artists, and producers with some of the best talent within the music industry. Mentors in this program include some names you might be familiar with, such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Parker Jr., Jimmy Jam, James Alexander, and other prominent names within Soul. Musicians looking to take the next step can learn more and apply for their program by providing contact information and a short sample.
Stax Music Academy
The Stax Music Academy strives to find the next generation of soul singers through enhancing their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills. Their main program, S.N.A.P. (Soul Nurtures Artistic Performance), is an afterschool program offering eight different ensembles with recitals in December, February and April. There’s also the Summer Music Experience, a four-week program that prepares students for careers within the music industry. Each student in the academy also donates five to ten hours of his or her time towards community service.
Stax Music Academy is always looking for mentors and other volunteers throughout the year. If interested in giving back, you can contact Melody Barham at (901) 946-2535 ext. 426 or at melody.barham@staxmusicacademy.org.
The Memphis Grizzlies Foundation
Source: grizzliesfoundation.org
The Grizzlies Foundation believes in investing in the next generation of decision makers through education, health and fitness, and youth mentoring. Their TEAM Mentor program pairs 9 seventh and eighth graders from Memphis schools to work together and position each student for success. The curriculum uses critical thinking skills to get students involved within their own community by working with local organizations such as St. Jude, Carpenter Art Garden, Church Health Center, and others. Mentors meet with their students 90 minutes per week during the school year. More information can be found here.
Want to find other great Memphis area organizations to work with? Head over to our community page to view other great organizations we work with.
