MEGA Mentors

Consistent, quality mentoring improves lives and closes education gaps. Mentoring makes a real difference: influencing academic attitudes and grades, inspiring college pursuit and leadership ambitions, and fostering hope and inclusivity (National Mentoring Partnership). Mentors support young people on their academic journey and help empower students to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. Moreover, mentors fuel self-awareness and self-efficacy and open doors for future academic and career possibilities. Yet 1 in 3 young people will grow up without a mentor. MEGA Mentors aims to change that.

Our consistent, quality mentoring works. Mentees are challenged, engaged, and enriched by the experiences we provide. By strengthening social-emotional and life skills, we set young people on a path to success both in school and in life. Our program results in:
• improved self-efficacy, self-initiation, and self-regulation
• improved academic achievement, attendance, and behavior.

Rooted in our core values of “respect, responsibility, effort and achievement,” MEGA Mentors’ uplifts underserved elementary, middle, and high school students with a curriculum geared toward prevention using research-based, culturally relevant best practices. MEGA has created a continuum of learning that consists of age-appropriate academic engagement and life skills activities. With a focus on foundational literacy in the early years, character development and life skills during the middle years, and career/college exposure and preparation in high school, we work to broaden students’ perspectives and bolster achievement personally, academically, and socially:

• Elementary Reading Program - Focusing on foundational literacy in the early years, MEGA combines reading and relationships to give students a solid basis from which to grow. Activities designed to build early reading skills are combined with opportunities to engage socially by having a lunch buddy, building early social and interpersonal skills.
• Middle School Mentorship - Embodying our core values of “respect, responsibility, effort and achievement,” the MEGA Mentors Middle School program develops critical social-emotional life, and leadership skills, preparing students with the skills they need in an ever-changing world.
• High School Mentorship- MEGA supports students on their academic journey while empowering them to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change. As mentees move to the high school level, career building is incorporated in mentoring activities as well the introduction of external resources such as guest speakers, site visits, SAT and financial aid workshops, and college tours.

“I can’t think of another program in the region that provides such a positive climate for children to be successful.” Dr. Mervin B. Daugherty, CCPS Superintendent

Over the last decade we have reached more than 3,000 students with more than 550 volunteers. MEGA Mentors was recognized in 2015 by former President Barack Obama with The President’s Volunteer Service Award and is continually heralded by the students, families and faculty we impact.

MEGA Mentors directly addresses racial equity by inspiring and bolstering BIPOC youth. Our focus on reaching African American and other underserved youth is matched both with mentors of color our young people can relate to and a primarily African American volunteer board of trustees. As advisors, role models, confidants, and guides, our volunteers lead students toward goals that many before found unfathomable. Last year, 81 volunteer mentors—90% being people of color—provided invaluable support amounting to more than 11,000 hours of caring. 89% of the Board and 100% of the Executive Leadership Committee are African American.By strengthening social-emotional and life skills, we set young people on a path to success both in school and in life.

As the pandemic continued, the 2021-2022 school year proved another critical time for the power of mentorship to inspire students and bolster their resilience. We offered a hybrid delivery model (in person and virtual), allowing for scheduling and training flexibility and granting access to a larger pool of mentors and guest speakers. We had hoped to add 5 schools to our program this year. Instead, we ballooned to nearly double our reach by engaging students from 29 schools. Even with pandemic limitations, we served 286 students; 90% identified as youth of color and we estimate 70% are economically disadvantaged. We also introduced the Information Technology program in partnership with the Moore Legacy Foundation, serving 4 students in the fall and 16 in the spring, in which hardware and software concepts were taught by IT professionals and students earned refurbished laptops provided by Dominion Energy. 100% of our students passed to the next grade level and there were no out-of-school suspensions. 81 volunteer mentors— nearly 90% people of color—provided invaluable support amounting to more than 11,000 hours of caring that reversed negative trajectories and inspired hope, empowering students to excel in the classroom and beyond.