蜜柚直播

For professionals who want to give back but have limited time, the Leadership Institute may be the answer.

For about 15 to 20 hours over the course of a school year, mentors talk life skills with seventh- and eighth-graders at Safford K-8 School, 200 E. 13th St. The mostly after-school program focuses on preparing students for high school, college and life beyond.

For eighth-grader DeBrandi Valenzuela, the Leadership Institute last year gave the her the confidence to speak up in classes and even in a school assembly.

Rosie Valdez, now a freshman at Cholla High School, realized she did have the qualities of a leader. She just needed someone to point them out to her.

鈥淪omeone who is not their teacher, who is not their parent, who is not their family is helping engage them in: 鈥楲ook, this is what life could be for you,鈥欌�� said Diane Dean, the teacher of the student leadership and service class and the Leadership Institute鈥檚 sponsor teacher. The institute is an extension of her leadership/student council class for certain students. Students can choose to participate in both seventh and eighth grades.

This is the third year for this variation of the Leadership Institute. The program began as a one-day workshop pairing about 20 mentors with Safford girls, in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Southern 蜜柚直播. That lasted for about 2茠 years, said Gretchen Shine, the program developer.

Although mentors don鈥檛 participate in every activity, theirs is a key role in helping students make connections between leadership skills and the real world.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a completely objective person saying, 鈥榊ou are awesome, and what you just did was incredible, and can you see how it relates to a job in such-and-such?鈥欌�� Shine said. 鈥淜ids are so hungry for feedback. You would think they don鈥檛 want it, but they grow and benefit from these mentors鈥� feedback.鈥�

As a young professional, Shine received advice that followed her through her career with AT&T and Cox Communications.

鈥淚 was a big reader but not a big talker and got feedback that I should stop reading and start leading,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was such a changing moment for me, and it really changed the course of what I feel was my professional life.鈥�

In retirement, she wanted to expose students to their own potential.

鈥淭hese kids may just have one parent in the home, so particularly for the boys, they really bond, as do the girls, with their mentors,鈥� she said.

Each year, the Leadership Institute pairs about 20 students with adults working in fields of potential interest. At the very least, Shine tries to match personalities or interests. Often those dreams change as the school year progresses.

鈥淗er career interests spanned engineering all the way to baking,鈥� said De- Brandi鈥檚 mentor, Cynthia Garcia, senior director of transmission and distribution operations for 蜜柚直播 Electric Power. 鈥淲e prepared her r茅sum茅 with a little bit of both in mind, because I helped her make the connection between the creative energy of baking and the creative energy of problem-solving in engineering.鈥�

Mentors work with students to develop r茅sum茅s, practice job interviews, think through time management and estimate a college budget, among other activities. Students also get exposure to entrepreneurial endeavors, theater and the arts. Many of the activities, which Shine prepares for mentors and mentees ahead of time, require students to participate and simulate real-world experiences.

鈥淚 feel like it was really good for me to get to do this because college is already in mind for me, and I鈥檓 already ahead with being organized and taking notes, and I鈥檓 already good at executing presentations, and those are things you will need in high school,鈥� said Rosie Valdez, who went through the Leadership Institute in seventh and eighth grade.

Her brother, Ben Valdez, is entering his second year in the program, this time as an eighth-grader, with mentor Bill Mishler, a professor of political science at the University of 蜜柚直播.

鈥淲hen I first met him, he was a bit shy,鈥� Mishler said. 鈥淲hen he met someone, he was looking at his shoes as he shook hands. 鈥� By the end of the year ... he had the wherewithal to know you look someone in the eye and you confidently shake their hand, and I think he was more confident overall and more willing to say, 鈥楾his is the right thing to do. Let鈥檚 do it this way.鈥欌��

For Ben, having a mentor meant having a brainstorming buddy rather than just calling on the teacher for help.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an older friend,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think of them as someone who is in charge of you, telling you what to do.鈥�

Dean, the Safford teacher, loves seeing those relationships blossom throughout the year.

鈥淔or me to stand back as an educator and watch them interact with someone else who is giving them the same skills that I would love for them to have, but they鈥檙e just getting it in a different format, it was totally engaging and they were just all in,鈥� she said.

Rosie and Ben鈥檚 mom, Cruz Valdez, has seen her children grow in confidence as a result of the program.

鈥淭hey get to see that they are leaders,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are role models, and just the same way that they are learning from their mentors and peers, the younger kids at the elementary school are also looking up to them.鈥�

Debra Valenzuela, De- Brandi鈥檚 mother, said her daughter is already thinking about finding jobs and preparing for college.

鈥淭his is the kind of program that just betters our kids, because around here, a lot of them just don鈥檛 have those opportunities,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or me, if it wasn鈥檛 for this institute, I wouldn鈥檛 be able to go pay a program for them to get this information.鈥�

When possible, Shine tries to pair mentors and students for both seventh and eighth grade. She wants to find male mentors, particularly Hispanic and African-American men, along with attorneys and doctors.

She makes it easy for mentors by preparing real-world lessons ahead of time and then explaining them to mentor-mentee teams during each session.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all spelled out,鈥� she said. Mentors 鈥渉ave a guided lesson to go through and help the kids. They don鈥檛 have to worry about awkwardness or spending any money.鈥�

Laura Baker, the assistant chief for the 蜜柚直播 Fire Department, has participated for several years.

鈥淚t is so doable,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have so much going on, but the time commitment is nothing strenuous.鈥� Still, 鈥淚t is a commitment and it鈥檚 being there and being accountable and supporting the program, because those students rely on you.鈥�

Mentees aren鈥檛 the only ones who benefit.

鈥淚 get as much out of this as DeBrandi does,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring not only to have the one-on-one relationship ... but to hear from the kids their perspectives and milestones and hopes and aspirations. It鈥檚 very inspiring for me as to where we鈥檙e headed.鈥�