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BROTHER-to-BROTHER PEER MENTORING PROGRAM 2008-2009

The Brother-to-Brother Program identifies and mentors at-risk males in local junior high and high schools in an effort to lower the drop out rates, raise attendance, and increase academic performance. The program enlists college students who provide academic support, life skills activities, and a post-graduation message to the students.  Due, in part, to the low high school graduation rates and college enrollment of minority males, the Brother-to-Brother Program and the Community In Schools (CIS) have formed a partnership to implement a peer mentoring program to increase the emphasis on a college-going culture.

Program Design (Peer Mentoring)

Peer mentoring programs are defined as matching older youth with young students in one-on-one relationships to provide guidance for the children (U.S. Department of Justice, 1999). The design of this peer mentoring program is one that pairs at-risk junior high and high schools students in local schools with minority male college student mentors enrolled Northeast Texas Community College.  The students are identified by CIS coordinators and an initial meeting is scheduled for assessment.  The culminating experiences for the peer mentoring program will consist of at-risk students meeting on a weekly basis with college students on the junior high or high school campus with time provided for reflections.

Goals

The goals of the program are to: 1) provide role models, who are currently college students, for at-risk students; 2) provide academic support, life skills activities, and a post-graduation message to the students; and 3) lower the drop out rates, raise attendance, and increase academic performance.

Interaction

The faculty advisor and CIS coordinators will determine the guidelines for the program and appropriate prompts for communicating with students.  Background checks will be required for all college students serving as mentors.  The areas of communication will include life skills activities, the importance of education, achieving academic success, behavior intervention, and awareness of opportunities beyond high school.  

Interaction between at-risk student and male college students will take in a safe environment on the at-risk students’ campus.  College students will have an opportunity to use an assessment tool that identify needs and interests to communicate with at-risk students.  The faculty advisor and CIS coordinators will guide and monitor these interactions.

Guidelines for the Peer Mentoring Program

College students and at-risk students participating in this program will be expected to abide by the following guidelines:

• Peer mentoring activities will take place at an approved safe environment.
• Mentor/mentee must complete an assessment form.
• Mentor/mentee must complete an end of the semester evaluation.
• Mentor/mentee must meet on a regular basis.
• Mentor/mentee must report inappropriate behavior.

Evaluation

An evaluation process determined by the peer mentoring advisory team will measure the benefits of peer mentoring in junior high and high schools where minority male college students are paired with at-risk students in an effort to lower the drop out rates, raise attendance, and increase academic performance.

Project Dates: Tuesday, Sep 2, 2008 to Monday, Aug 17, 2009

Category:

Mentoring

Location of Project:

Mt. Plesant, Texas

Number of Adults:

8

Number of Students:

13

People Impacted:

46

School/Organization:

Northeast Texas Community College/Brother-to-Brother

 

PO Box 1307
Mt. Plesant, Texas 75456

School/Org. Contact:

Robert Harper
903-434-8265

Organization Type:

College, Graduate School or University

Number of Visits:

2892

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