The district’s Community-Based Mentoring Program (CBMP) has been relaunched with a commitment to equity. The CBMP pairs trusted adults of the Gwinnett community with students in grades 4 through 12 to provide them with a one-on-one mentorship experience. Mentors offer guidance, encouragement, and support to help them become successful adults and leaders both in and outside the classroom. Mentor and educator Elizabeth Crofton says the most rewarding aspect of the CBMP is seeing the mentees flourish. 

“The most rewarding part of mentoring has definitely been watching each of my mentees grow more confident in themselves as students and community members during the course of our time together…On a personal level, mentoring has given me a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It’s a win-win situation,” she says. 

Mentorship has positively impacted student achievement, self-esteem, social-emotional learning, and meaningful, lasting connections. Furthermore, the CBMP makes students more likely to stay in school, set higher goals, and overcome obstacles. Santosh Soni was volunteering at North Gwinnett Middle School when they learned about the CBMP, googled the program, and got involved. They say the program makes them feel good about their work.

 “Although it’s been only a short time, I feel that they take me as their friend who is listening to them, making them comfortable to talk about themselves... one of the mentees said that “he feels very comfortable in our meeting”, it made me feel good about myself.”

The program is aligned with The Blueprint’s Equity Goal 2A: a comprehensive framework to fully operationalize a multi-tiered system of supports to address academic and non-academic student needs and remove barriers to success. Discover ways that you can support the Office of Community-Based Mentoring and GCPS!