Partner Spotlight: MENTOR Greater Milwaukee

MPS students have made it clear that relationships are essential for Milwaukee’s youth – and MENTOR Greater Milwaukee is working to build and strengthen such relationships across the city. The organization, which acts as one of the co-leads for Youth Forward MKE, aims to increase the number of mentoring relationships by building the capacity of existing programs.

During the Coalition’s June meeting, MENTOR’s Executive Director Lanelle Ramey and Director of Youth Development and Strategic Partnerships Betty Hill gave attendees an inside look at their organization - and the great things they’re accomplishing in Milwaukee.

The data on mentoring speaks for itself. According to Betty, having this “guide on the side” means youth are 52% less likely than their peers to skip school, 55% more likely to enroll in college and 130% more likely to hold a leadership position. Bringing it full circle, 90% of those mentees are more likely to become mentors themselves.

“We want volunteer mentors to understand that you can come in and work with our young people if you're willing to do two main things,” said LaNelle. “Come in, willing to be vulnerable enough to share your story, but then come in committed to cultural competency and work alongside of young people.”

From their Mentoring Connector tool, which showcases mentor programs and connects families and potential mentors, to their summer social justice ambassadors, who are learning how to use their voices to create positive change in the community, it’s clear that MENTOR is a crucial component of Milwaukee’s youth landscape, providing support and training where it’s needed most.

Last summer’s Design Your Future fellows seemed to agree. In their proposals on how to enhance high school education in Milwaukee, they explicitly called on MENTOR as an ideal implementation partner.