Chicago’s Street-to-Success Mentorship Program – redirecting Chicago’s Youth on a Safer Path (Pitch)

The Street-to-Success (abbreviated S2S) Organization aims to assist Chicago’s youth in recognizing their full potential, and realizing that with hard work and dedication, these young men and women can achieve anything. In doing this, the organization’s primary goal is to assist Chicago’s youth in establishing and following through with post-secondary plans so they don’t need to resort to criminal activity such as gang affiliation. The S2S Organization plans on following through with this mission and achieving this goal through a rigorous mentorship program that will provide these adolescents the tools they need to succeed after high school. The organization will foster a community that emphasizes acceptance, mentor-to-mentee relationships, and the benefits of having a plan in place after high school graduation.

I am motivated to push high schoolers to graduate because I believe education leads to success. It breaks my heart hearing stories about students dropping out with no plan in place. When a student discontinues his or her high school education, it could lead to unsafe alternatives. S2S will strive to provide the tools necessary in order to be successful after high school. I am passionate about keeping students in school because I was fortunate enough to attend a well-regarded public school and I recognize my privilege. I am also passionate about keeping students in school because as I have matured, I have realized how well high school has set me up for college. While not every student in the foundation’s mentorship will choose to pursue college, completing high school will teach an invaluable work ethic to these students regardless of the career path they choose.

I have decided to start in Chicago given that I am from the Midwest and I know the area reasonably well. S2S will be unique in the sense that it will lead a seven-year mentorship program. At the beginning of sixth grade, middle schoolers will be paired one-on-one with a Chicago-native that will mentor students all the way up until their graduation from high school. This mentor will meet bi-weekly with students, only for a half an hour (either after school or on the weekends) to ensure progress towards graduation. Throughout the middle school years, the mentor will begin brainstorming with his or her assigned students on what the student may want to do after graduation. The mentor will also help out on homework assignments and always offer support to the student. At the beginning of the student's freshman year in high school, the mentor and mentee will create a post-graduation plan. This plan will map out what the student needs to accomplish in ninth through twelfth grade in order to reach the post-graduation plan that the mentee is aiming for. The mentor will have a variety of responsibilities, including encouraging his or her student to participate in extracurriculars (if offered at the school), assist in scheduling for standardized testing if the student decides to pursue college, teaching essential and applicable skills that students will need to enter the working world, and ultimately keeping students on the path to graduation.

I am seeking support for the Street-to-Success Organization because every student deserves the opportunity for an adequate high school education and ultimately an opportunity to succeed in the world. While all humans are created equal, not every human is given the same opportunities to succeed. Thus, S2S aims to provide these essential opportunities for students so they can fulfill their post-secondary plans. By creating a community of young adults who can recognize their full potential, and by stressing that high-school graduation can open the door to so many opportunities, I hope my organization will convince students that they shouldn't drop out. Rather, I hope they can set a goal and see it become a reality through my organization's proper guidance. And they don't need to do it alone - they will have a mentor coaching them each step of the way, someone they can hopefully call a good friend.