Team 10 Who Mentor made their way to the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury last Friday for a morning filled with inspiration and empowerment centered around the value of mentorship and its impact on student success. The team, which consisted of Denise Korn, author of 10 Who Mentor, Neal Kane co-author, along with Robert Lewis Jr. and Martha Jones, two of the ten individuals profiled in the book, rallied students by reminding them of the importance of “showing up and working hard” in order to achieve their dreams.
Denise Korn, author "10 Who Mentor" addresses students at the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury (seated left to right: Martha Jones, Robert Lewis Jr. and Neal Kane, co-author "10 Who Mentor")
It was a dynamic morning, filled with optimism and hope for the students in the audience who are too often undervalued and overlooked in our city and beyond due to the harsh realities of life in urban communities. If there was ever any question about the desire and ambition of our young people, one would have only had to look around the auditorium this morning to see the desire in the eyes of these incredible students and their excitement to learn about the abundance of limitless opportunities before them.
Students from grades 6-8 learned first hand from the personal accounts of Team 10 who Mentor about the impact that mentorship has played in their own lives both as children and adults. With each presenter sharing his or her reason for making mentorship apart of a life-long commitment to future generations of youth in Boston and beyond.
Robert Lewis Jr., Vice-President of Programs at The Boston Foundation and one of ten extraordinary individuals profiled in "10 Who Mentor"
The assemblies were made possible through the partnership between the Timilty Middle School and Simmons College Scott Ross Center’s Promising Pals Program, which chose 10 Who Mentor as the dedicated resource to help encourage dialogue between Timilty Middle School students and their adult pen pal mentors.
Neal Kane, co-author "10 Who Mentor" addresses students at the James P. Timilty Middle School around the importance of being able to communicate through writing.
Aimed at increasing literacy, writing skills, self-expression and role modeling; the Promising Pals Program was founded at the Timilty Middle School in 1986 by then Principal Roger Harris. 2012 marks the 26th Anniversary of the program, which currently serves more than 690 Boston children, each of whom is paired with a pen pal mentor.
Throughout the year students and their pen pals exchange letters where they discuss topics ranging from personal accounts of life lessons to the importance of academic persistence as it relates to pursuing and securing a successful future both academically and personally. Denise and the Team 10 Who Mentor look to visit more schools and youth groups with these conversations. The energy was amazing!
Click here to view footage of Team “10 Who Mentor” during their visit to the Timilty Middle School.
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