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The Problem:


There are too many students living in Washington, D.C. who are not getting the support or guidance needed to graduate from high school, prepared to be successful and productive citizens. Many are faced with under-resourced schools, dangerous neighborhoods, and little to no history of college-going in their families. The fact is that only about half of our kids are graduating from D.C. high schools. Those who drop out are much more likely to face unemployment, poverty, the need for public assistance, prison, and becoming single parents with children who drop out from high school themselves.  The social, emotional and economic toll resulting from D.C. students not achieing a high school education and the credentials of a diploma have an enormous impact on both individual and family productivity, a toll which ultimately impacts all citizens. Mentors, Inc. works to end the dropout cycle.

The good news is that lots of D.C. students want to succeed, and recognize their need for mentors and the benefit of a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult. 

Mission
The Mentors, Inc. mission is to increase the graduation rates and success of Washington, D.C.’s public high school students by pairing them with caring adult volunteers in structured and enriched mentoring relationships that promote their personal, academic and career development.

Our Programs
Mentors, Inc. creates and supports mentoring relationships for students who are enrolled in any traditional or charter public  senior high school.  We provide ongoing individualized support, and  enrichment opportunities in the areas of college, career, and community service exposure, exploration, and planning.  Graduating seniors are eligible for college scholarships. We connect proteges and mentors to a world of opportunities through our monthly online newsletter.  And to make sure our efforts yield the best results for our students, we follow the BEST PRACTICES of MENTOR, National Mentoring Partnership.

History
Mentors, Inc has provided mentors for students enrolled in Washington, D.C.’s public senior high schools since 1987.  The organization was founded by a parent and a principal – Shayne Schneider and Betty Brooks – who recognized the powerful untapped resource that the large pool of highly educated professionals in D.C. represented for students in the city’s public schools.  While the city’s professional community is among the most educated and affluent in the United States, its public schools serve many students who are severely limited in family, community and school resources, with little experience with higher education.  Mentors, Inc. has been the only citywide, one-on-one mentoring program serving high school aged youth, focused on the relationship itself.  More than merely tutors, our mentors are role models; they provide the guidance, support, knowledge, and love our young people need to become successful adults.

For many of our students, having a mentor is truly transformative; the mentor may be the first adult with the time to take an interest in their well-being.  The experience increases their personal aspirations, provides them with new perspectives and eposes them to a range of experiences that may be less available in their own communities.