Lead Strong is a mentoring program designed to raise leaders while breaking barriers.
We accomplish this by hands-on mentoring & connecting mentors with mentees. Lead Strong works on two fronts:
1. Correction: mentoring returning citizens to become viable citizens in society. Referring them to jobs, resources & positive circles of influence.
2. Prevention: Those who are in school (or out) who are trying to do what is right.
On both fronts, we stress the important of Choice, Vision, Planning, Action – all with a positive mindset. We are all one CHOICE away from either destruction or success. Whether in high school or prison; “One’s Focus Will Consume Them”. Whatever you focus on you will get more of it!
Often in life, our issues are not particular problems in & of themselves, but the windows through which we view them.
Mentoring a key to academic success.
Studies show that children who have at least one consistent, caring adult in their lives are less likely to drop out of school or get in trouble with the law.
• Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class.
• Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking.
• Seventy-six percent at-risk young adults who had a mentor aspire to enroll in and graduate from college versus half of at-risk young adults who had no mentor. They are also more likely to be enrolled in college.
• Mentoring reduces “depression symptoms” and increases “social acceptance, academic attitudes and grades.”
A five year study sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada found that children with mentors were more confident and had fewer behavioral problems. Girls in the study were four times less likely to become bullies than those without a mentor and boys were two times less likely. In general, young people showed increased belief in their abilities to succeed in school and felt less anxiety related to peer pressure.
