The Magic of Mentoring - And The Results
by Bobbretta M. Brewton, Ed.D.,LSW

Mentorship, to some, appears to be a big mystery;  but it is a form of nurturing youth that dates back to early religion, as well as Greek and Roman times.  Socrates, Plato and Aristotle certainly developed a mentoring process that has stood the test of time and is alive and well, today, fifteen centuries later.
Since 1997 and the start of Colin Powell’s promising initiative to improve the well-being of youth, I have been convinced that mentoring is the answer for making a difference in whether or not our youth fail or succeed--take away from society or grow up to be responsible, contributing members.
During my closing report at the Spring Assembly,  I shared part of my presentation time with two middle school twins, Shyla and Shayla.  The three of us have been a trio since they were in my best friend’s kindergarten class.  Below is a digest of what the girls had to say about the importance of caring adults and the impact that many have had on their efforts in growing up and being good citizens.
   "Throughout me and my sister’s life we have had a lot of wonderful people help us.  There’s been our mom who has raised us, who taught us our manners, and who showed us nothing but love and compassion.
   There’s been our grandmother who has been nothing but the sweetest lady in the entire world.  She taught us how to tie our shoes and ride our bikes.  She watched over us (even though we got on her nerves at times) while our mother was at work.
   And, then there was Penny who helped us in the Second Chance Program.  She invited us over  to her house, and helped us at Christmas a lot by buying Christmas presents for our family.  Last, but not least, there’s Bobbie who has been the greatest friend anyone could have. We remember the day she walked into Shayla’s classroom….Mrs. Brown, Shayla’s teacher introduced Bobbie to the class.  Then, Shayla asked  if she would like to hear  her read.  So, Shayla read to her Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.  After wards, she found out that Shayla was a twin.  We guess that was all Bobbie needed to convince herself that she wanted to help us and be our friend. 
    So, after awhile we started going places with her.  We started going to church with her, to lunch, and to some conventions (meetings) with her.  We had a lot of fun with Bobbie and we still do.
   The point we are trying to make is through out life, there’s going to be those special people who will help you, but if a kid is lucky enough to get someone like Bobbie, then that is all of the help that is needed."  --  Shyla and Shayla