LEADERSHIP: empowered to act and inspire others to act in order to make a positive change.
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION: alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict.
CHARACTER: a set of qualities that make somebody distinctive.

"Almost all the mentors in successful relationships believed that their role was to support the youth, to help him or her grow and develop. They saw themselves as a friend.

Those successful mentors understood that positive changes in the lives of young people do not happen quickly or automatically. If they are to happen at all, the mentor and youth must meet long enough and often enough to build a relationship that helps the youth feel supported and safe, develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and see new possibilities in life. "
- NWREL National Mentoring Center—

American poet Ruth Whitman said, "In every art beginners must start with models of those who have practiced the same art before them. And it is not only a matter of looking at the drawings, paintings, musical compositions, and poems that have been and are being created; it is a matter of being drawn into the individual work of art, of realizing that it has been made by a real human being, and trying to discover the secret of its creation."

It is time to help our youth discover the secret of their creation rather than watch their self-destruction. That is one of the reasons why I am establishing Harrisburg’s first C.I.T.Y.-wide Mentorship Initiative (CWMI)).

While there are many existing formal mentorship programs, the CWMI offers the strategy to reach untapped or overlooked reservoirs of mentors embedded in our local government, businesses, educational, and faith-based communities.

This "call for mentors," is summoning everyone to reach out to our youth who have great potential. With each one extending a hand to a child, Harrisburg will be a C.I.T.Y.: Connecting, Inspiring, Teaching, Youth.

Many of you are already investing in youth by engaging them in basketball and teaching them the discipline of the sport. Some of you have taken one of those teenage mothers and given her insight on how to make the most out of life. Others have established programs and businesses providing internship opportunities. This call brings an opportunity for everyone to serve a child, to care for a child, aiding him or her in greater development of leadership, conflict-resolution, and character.

Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I challenge you today to join the C. I. T. Y.-wide Mentorship Initiative.

Best regards,
Mayor Linda D. Thompson

Goals should be:
• Conceivable—The mentee must be able to conceptualize a goal so that it is understandable and that the mentee can identify the first step or two towards accomplishing the goal.
• Desirable—It should be something the mentee really wants to do.
• Realistic—If is too difficult, it will lead to frustration and defeat for mentee.
• Achievable - It must be accomplishable given the mentee’s resources and abilities.
• Measurable—It should have a deadline, or there might be a tendency to put it off.
• Sign "covenant agreement" for your relationship, outlining each person’s personal, social, and educational goal for the year.
• Assess your progress and pitfalls, charting the results, and reaffirming or reassessing.
• Mentees goals must be their own, not goals that others have set.

What are Mentors?
Mayor Thompson believes that when one person cares for another person by listening to them, talking to them, or even sharing time with them, you are mentoring.
There are several types of mentors; including informal and formal. Informal mentors are those who are considered experienced advisors or supporters; people usually older and more experienced; people like uncles who listen to their nephews, or a church member who helps a youth. It is also someone like the person sitting on the porch taking time to talk with those on the street. Informal mentors unselfishly give a few hours of their time during the course of a week.

Formal mentors participate in a structured mentorship program, receive training and then are paired with a mentee. Formal mentors possibly join organizations like the Mentoring Partnership of Central Pennsylvania (MPCP). MPCP provides orientation and support sessions for mentors to help them cultivate their natural abilities as mentors.
The Mayor recognizes informal mentoring as the best tool to use for the C. I. T. Y.-wide initiative because it offers the opportunity for spontaneity, longevity, comprehensiveness, and "special chemistry."

For those who would like to be trained as a mentor and paired with a mentee within a structured mentorship program, the City of Harrisburg cooperates with many such programs and can provide on how to contact them.
Because young people need to experience support, care, and love from their families, neighbors, and many others, informal mentoring is key to providing developmental assets for our youth. That is why we are turning to you for support.

• Family support : Mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, grandparent, etc.
• Other adult relationships: Young person receives support from non-parent adults.
• Caring neighborhood: Young person experiences care from neighbors, community centers, churches, businesses, and local government employees.
• Caring school climate: Young person receives opportunities of care through teachers, faculty, superintendents, etc.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."- Einstein on Thinking Out of the Box

MENTORING DOs
1. Do ask for help when you need it.
2. Do allow and expect your mentee to make mistakes.
3. Do separate your goals from those of your mentee.
4. Do build on the positive.
5. Do turn everything into a learning experience.
6. Do reinforce your mentee’s successes through praise, and praise often.
7. Do provide constructive criticism when warranted.
8. Do expect the relationship to be fairly one-sided for some time, and take responsibility for keeping the relationship alive.
9. Do involve your mentee in deciding how you will spend time together.
10. Do emphasize the relationship between leadership, conflict-resolution, character, basic academic skills, and success.
11. Do build trust by maintaining a steady presence in your mentee’s life.
12. Do pay attention to your mentee’s need for FUN!
13. Do respect the mentee’s viewpoint.
14. Do seek guidance and support from program staff.

MENTORING DON'Ts
1. Don’t expect to have all the answers.
2. Don’t make a commitment you can’t keep.
3. Don’t enable bad behavior in your mentee by ignoring it or refusing to take appropriate action.
4. Don’t offer unwanted advice.
5. Don’t attempt to instill a set of values inconsistent with the virtues of positive leadership, conflict-resolution, and character.
6. Don’t lecture your mentee.
7. Don’t attempt to transform or reform your mentee by setting goals and tasks early on.
8. Don’t adopt a parental or authoritative role in your interactions with your mentee.
9. Don’t focus on behavior changes over building mutual respect and trust.
10. Don’t demand that your mentee play an equal role in initiating contact.

Sign-up in person on March 30, 2010 at the mentorship program’s launching at 3:30 p.m. at Camp Curtin Elementary School Gymnasium! (2900 N 6th St, Harrisburg, PA )
Email us at mentors@cityofhbg.com.

Contact a person!
• A person 18 years or older seeing something in a younger person; taking that person under his or her wing, and providing advice and guidance.
• A young person desiring to have a mentor for guidance or support.
• Monthly Themes
• Each month you have the City’s mentorship themes to aid you in developing a healthy mentorship relationship.
• Opportunities to experience the City of Harrisburg with your mentee.

Seek Out the Help When Needed
Get connected to an established mentorship program listed as Collaborative Partners.

It is important to define mentoring roles in order to appreciate the significance of the commitments a mentor may be making. For simplicity, a list of key roles and their meaning has been provided:

Trusted Counselor - Mentor listens and reflects the mentee’s ideas and plans, and shares his or her insights, practical experience. Mentors may recommend specific steps.

Teacher or Tutor - Mentor instructs or guides the mentee to learn specific information or concepts. The mentor may provide specific information and some "how to" guidance, such as a copy of pertinent sections of a manual or examples of completed work.

Coach - Mentor may go over the mentee’s training and background, assess the experience level and where deficiencies are identified, teach these skills to the mentee. Then the mentor would let the protégé try out these new skills, such as assigning certain writing assignments for which the mentor provides feedback at various stages.

Motivator - Mentor encourages the mentee to assume additional responsibilities when the time appears right. Urges the mentee to test his or her capabilities.

Sponsor - Mentor supports and represents the mentee to the organization. He or she may champion the mentee 's request to attend developmental courses or full-time education or provide strong backing for a challenging assignment for the mentee.

Referral Agent - Mentor directs the mentee to proper sources to achieve his or her goal and introduces the mentee.

Role Model - Mentor is a senior participant who demonstrates, by example, the traits, performance and contributions to the community that spell success; someone the mentee wants to emulate.

This list of mentor roles is not all-inclusive but it demonstrates that considerable thought and effort must be given to ensure success.

Any time that your mentee exhibits a period of challenging behavior, seek help from our program staff or our collaborative partners to get guidance and support.
Attend ongoing training offered by our collaborative partners.
Honestly report, via email, how your mentorship is going at mentors@harrisburg.com; write mentors in the subject line.

People Helping People

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MENTORS
MARCH - Kick-off!
• Preparation of posters, flyers, banners, etc.
• Press Conference, Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 3:30 p.m.
• Kick-off! Tuesday, March 30, 2010
• Gather at Camp Curtin Elementary School gymnasium 2900 N. 6th Street Harrisburg, PA.

APRIL – Life is not a Game
• Exploring the sacredness of life; enjoying life, taking in a game, etc.
• Mayor’s Chess Team
• Kick-boxing at the Brownstone Building, Reservoir Park
• Great entertainment

MAY – Experience Art & Remembering Armed Forces
• Exposure to culture and history
• Field Trip to African American Museum, Philadelphia, PA

JUNE – Sweep the Streets Together
• Community service in the City
• First the street, then the block, then the neighborhood, then a better city!

JULY – Sustainable Families
• Roundtable Discussion: What does a 2010 family look like and how do we sustain it?
• Encourage family time
• Enjoy all outdoor events: city, regional parks, Jazz Festival, Kipona.

AUGUST – Prepare for your Future
• Help prepare for entering school-year
• Exposure to colleges and trade schools
• Workforce development
• Career exploration

SEPTEMBER – Self-Esteem Drive
• Professional dress
• Ethics and virtues
• Job Fair/Youth as Restorers

OCTOBER – Non-Violent Anger
• Resolution-conflict
• Anger management
• Peace projects
• Field Trip to Washington, D.C.

NOVEMBER – Leaders are Readers
• Visit local libraries
• Mayor Thompson’s Great Debaters

DECEMBER – Building Wealth
• Developing an entrepreneur mindset
• Money management

"Young people need constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative activities, youth programs, congregational involvement, and quality time at home."
- Training New Mentors

Many thanks to our "Think Tank" Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., City Government Employees

• Harrisburg School District
• Mentoring Partnership of Central Pennsylvania
• Camp Curtin YMCA