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Mentoring Changes Lives for Both Mentee and Mentor
September 2017
Have you ever had a mentor in your life… someone who you have gone to either professionally or personally who offered support and guidance? At Quinsigamond Community College two unique mentoring programs have been established for both male and female students to assist them in a variety of issues both on and off campus. Mentors of these initiatives are QCC faculty and staff.
Brothers & Keepers is a male mentoring program designed to increase the retention and educational success of male students at QCC. Participants in Brothers & Keepers will work with peers, faculty, and staff to learn how to successfully navigate college, prepare for life, work, and education after QCC.
“Research suggests male mentors have proven to be effective for a variety of reasons in male mentoring initiatives. Currently, we are seeking new mentors to help us for the 2017-18 academic year. Mentors will help to fulfill the mission of the Brothers & Keepers Program through our strong commitment to aiding students in their personal, professional, and career development,” said Club Advisor Ricky Frazier, Program Counselor, Student Support Services & Coordinator of The Brothers & Keepers Male Mentoring Initiative.
Brothers & Keepers exposes students to:
- Educational and social tutoring
- Career development counseling
- Interpersonal skills coaching
- Interview and presentation skills development
- Health and wellness counseling
- Strategies for resolving conflict with peers, faculty, and/or staff
- Coping strategies for managing social, academic, and financial hardships
- Self-confidence and self-esteem building exercises
- Student leadership and community engagement opportunities
- Social outing and peer bonding experiences
- Celebrations of ethnic diversity and immigrant experience
Mentors will be matched with a male mentee(s) and are asked to maintain regular and frequent contacts with their mentee (a minimum of three contacts per semester, with at least one of these a face-to-face exchange), to discuss successes and failures while navigating educational, personal and social experiences.
A female mentoring program is also available at QCC called S.H.E. (Support. Help. Encourage).
Similar to the goals of Brothers & Keepers, this female mentoring program was created to support QCC female students in their academic and personal goals.
S.H.E. exposes female students to:
- Educational and social tutoring
- Career development counseling
- Interpersonal skills coaching
- Interview and presentation skills development
- Health and wellness counseling
- Strategies for resolving conflict with peers, faculty, and staff
- Coping strategies for managing social, academic, and financial hardships
- Self-confidence and self-esteem building exercises
- Student leadership and community engagement opportunities
“Many of us have been fortunate to have had mentors through our own personal and professional development. One way to pay that experience forward is to provide one or two of our students with the ‘personal touch’ of mentoring. The S.H.E. Program is one way to get involved in student success,” said Dr. Terry Vecchio, Dean of Students.
