What We Do

College Mentors, Inc., is an innovative non-profit that pairs youth with local college student mentors for weekly activities that expose youth to the opportunities of higher education. College Mentors serves over 1,000 children with over 1,000 college mentors and 150 student leaders.

The mission of College Mentors is to motivate youth and communities to achieve their potential by fostering inspiration to transform lives, education to change attitudes, and connections to increase opportunities. 

Higher education and career activities allow little buddies to increase their awareness of college life, different careers and the training required for each. For example, in an activity about journalism, they may meet the editor of the campus newspaper, tour the newsroom, and write an article under the supervision of a journalism professor. Or, the children might travel to a biology lab to learn about how plants photosynthesize, while also listening to a professor speak about botany, why people study botany and how a college degree is important in becoming a botanist.

Through culture and diversity activities the little buddies learn about the talents and heritage of the different people who form the college community. Activities may include celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a student from Mexico, sitting in on an orchestra class, or learning a routine with a hip-hop dance group. These activities expand little buddies' world view by exposing them to the languages, foods, visual and performing arts, and histories of groups different from themselves.

Community service activities enable the children to identify and respond to needs in their community and learn about community resources. For example, the group may discuss homelessness and its causes and then assemble toiletry kits to give to clients of a local homeless shelter. These activities are empowering for the little buddies, who are often on the receiving end of social services.

Activities span two hours throughout the academic year and occur once a week after school on the college campus. The little buddies come to campus approximately 20 times per year, making 80 or more visits to a college campus by the time they finish the fourth grade. Activities open with snack time and the Book of the Week. Each group of 10 mentor-child pairs travels to the appropriate campus location and participate in a structured hands-on activity facilitated by a professor, student or local businessperson. The location enhances the activity; not only do children learn about the topic but they connect it to a facility, making the college experience very real to them. At the conclusion of the activity, the buddy pairs spend time together reflecting on their experience through journaling and the College Question of the Week.

Please visit our website for more information at www.collegementors.org/