Milwaukee youth mentor program seeks to expand services throughout county

MILWAUKEE — A possibility to develop mentoring providers to youths all through the Milwaukee space now lies within the palms of 17 county supervisors.

“There are a whole lot of wants all through the town the place there are simply gaps of mentors,” mentioned LaNelle Ramey, the chief director of Mentor Higher Milwaukee.

Final week, Ramey introduced his mentoring mindsets proposal earlier than the board’s finance committee. He is trying to obtain $250,000 in ARPA funding from the county in hopes of utilizing that cash to help his group’s mission at Mentor Higher Milwaukeeto affect extra youngsters’ lives.

“One in three younger persons are with out an grownup mentor of their life,” mentioned Ramey.

The non-profit recruits and trains these fascinated with turning into mentors and locations them in numerous organizations all through the town. If granted the funding, Ramey says he’d use the cash to increase Mentor Higher Milwaukee’s attain throughout the group. He says he’d concentrate on recruiting extra grownup mentors, offering extra mentor coaching workshops, and implementing peer mentoring fashions inside faculties.

“We’re hopefully going to succeed in 20 faculties over the following couple of years with the concept that younger persons are mentoring each other,” mentioned Ramey.

18-year-old Carmelo Knight, one of many group’s youth mentoring ambassadors, says creating these alternatives is crucial for a technology he feels has misplaced its method.

“​I really feel like we’re misplaced. I really feel like we do not have as a lot steerage as we should always have and I believe that is one other factor that type of pushes me in the direction of mentoring,” mentioned Knight.

However with this potential funding, leaders say they will be capable to assist change the narrative.

“​They’re much less prone to skip college, they’re extra prone to even change into a mentor long-term, and one in all my favourite different factors is they’re extra prone to maintain some sort of management positions,” mentioned Ramey.

The proposal will quickly go earlier than the complete board of supervisors for a closing vote.

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