Birthday:
September 16
- Photos
- Videos
- Blog Posts
- Discussions
- Events
- Friends
- Comment Wall
- About
You need to be a member of Tutor/Mentor Connection to add comments!
Comments are closed.
Hometown:
Bobcaygeon
About Me:
Tenture teacher in Ontario currently serving behaviour students on a multidisciplinary team in over 250 Toronto District School Board Schools. Special Education, Specialist, Behaviour & Learning Disabilities Reading, Specialist Principal's Qualification Program, Part 2 Changing Kids Charity Founder, Registered Non-For Profit with Revenue Canada. Changing Kids believes in sustainable change through 3 mentorship programs: Mentoring Youth In New Directions, Kids N’ Elders and Diva Dreams. Mentoring Youth In New Directions empowers young men who are known to police, are not achieving academically, have poor attendance records and are in conflict in school and the community. CFL mentors like Ejior Kuale teach boys different ways to think, feel and act over a 16 week curriculum. Each mentor has walked a lifetime in the boys shoes and works to change negative thoughts, feelings and actions in to positives. Boys are asked to anonymously complete an exit form. They write examples of things they do differently because of their MYIND mentor: “I learned to stay calm and control myself,”.“I haven’t been getting in trouble often so I can stay in the program,” “I can trust others” and “I have worth.” Powerful statements from Changing Kids. 125 Kids N’ Elders pairs were sponsored last year. Junior level kids visit bi-weekly over the course of the school year with elders who live with diminished cognitive and physical abilities. They become caregivers, confidents and friends as they learn about the social studies curriculum through life perspectives. Students build self-esteem, empathy while elders benefit from stimulation. Elders take busses to visit students at their schools in the spring every year. We have lost several elders since the programs inception. I will never forget Margret who wrote, “Thank you for the Kids.” The experience changes everyone who watches the Kids N’ Elders interact. Diva Dreams provides lessons and equipment to girls whose families cannot. Our commitment is to support the girls as long as they keep up their grades until they graduate high school forever changing their lives. We are privileged to have mentors at the Glen Abbey Academy, home of the Canadian Open, make this young girl’s dream come true. Khameita presented at last years fundraise. Her voice was small for this shy young girl but here words resonated throughout the room. “I am very thankful and feel very fortunate that I’ve been chosen by the charity Changing Kids to participate in Diva Dreams here at Glen Abbey. It’s hard to imagine how golf can relate to building my character, but it did. I used to be very, very shy, but now I am more open and confident. Activities such as golf can provide self-esteem and build strong character. I can feel more confident that I can accomplish my goals. Nothing is ever impossible when you can believe in yourself and with the help and support of those around you, who want to see you succeed.”
What do you hope to learn, or share, on this forum?
I hope to find out other way in which the charity can expand its mentoring programs to assist more youth. Namaste
Comments
Hi Rachelle. Thanks for joining. Look through the list of members and you'll find Angie Hocking who is from Toronto. There might be one other member from Canada, too. The three of you could form a group.
As a teacher I hope you'll look at the work our interns are doing and how I coach them and see you college and high school students in your own community could be doing exactly the same work, but focused on your community and its needs rather than Chicago. If you coach that process on this site, and others do the same, we can build a dynamic network of people working and innovating ways to attract more consistent talent, dollars and technology to support our own efforts, as well as our collective efforts.