A Time for Mentors
By Albert B. Kelly
There are times when certain words can be overused to the
point that they lose their impact. Whether it’s a word such as “great” or
“awesome” or the word “unique”, when applied to too many things, they tend to
lose their meaning.
But in describing the plight of so many young men and
woman today, especially those in high school and those just starting college,
the word “epidemic” seems right when trying to capture the scarcity of solid adult
role models that so shapes their years.
This lack of an adult (especially male) role model is far
more common in resource-poor communities and the impact is keenly felt in many
minority-majority communities. This absence touches almost every part of a
young person’s life; education, socially, developing life skills, soft skills,
whatever.
That’s why I was gratified and pleased to learn about
Cumberland County College’s Career Mentoring Program and Internship Program and
the renewed emphasis these important initiatives are receiving under the
leadership of the new college president Dr. Yves Solomon-Fernandez.
On the practical side, the program brings together
current and retired professionals to help our students develop a sense of what
to expect in a variety of work settings. This mentoring will focus on such
basics as writing good resumes and cover letters, workplace etiquette, professional
appearance, communication skills, financial literacy, and customer service, and
other soft skills so necessary in the job market.
In a perfect world, these basic soft skills would be the
very things that parents would instill in their children in the course of
growing them into young adults. But we don’t live in a perfect world and for a
host of reasons; this lack of adult mentoring is epidemic.
Not a week goes by when I don’t speak with an employer or
business owner who does not bemoan the fact they have such a hard time hiring
young people (and perhaps not-so-young people), who have these skills and are
basically ready to go when hired.
With that in mind, we can either continue to be
frustrated with what seems like a hit or miss thing with workforce readiness,
or we can be more proactive by giving of our time and perhaps opening our work
spaces to these young people as mentors.
As I indicated, the practical side of the program will be
about teaching the soft skills and the basics to these young men and women. But
perhaps more importantly, you will be in a position to build a relationship
allowing you to share all the wisdom, insights, experiences, and lessons you’ve
learned over a lifetime.
These are some of the things many of our young people have
never gotten growing up for any number of reasons. But if you’re willing,
through this program, you can help change the trajectory of a young person’s
life.
I don’t think I’m being too dramatic when I say that.
I’ve seen, as some of you have, the positive impact one caring adult, be they a
teacher, coach, or youth leader, can have in the life of a young person just
starting out in adulthood. It’s no small thing.
That’s why I’m hoping you will consider giving the
benefit of your time and experience through Cumberland County College’s Career
Mentoring Program or through an internship. If you’re retired, perhaps your
work will be on campus.
If you’re still in the thick of your career, running your
business, overseeing your agency or department, perhaps you can have that young
person spend time with you in your workplace; talking and sharing and teaching
and listening and imparting the things you know so they can learn.
Young women need to see our professional women working in
their chosen fields if for no other reason, than that they know they can also
achieve success if they’re willing to work for it. Our young men need to get
that same message and see what it looks like in action.
There’s no one-size-fits-all, I’m working with several of
our churches as they develop mentoring models for our youth. In the case of
CCC, the easier part is working with businesses on a structure that works- the
hard part is finding enough professionals willing to extend themselves as
mentors.
Please take the time to learn more about the program. You
can learn more by contacting Dr. Maud Fried-Goodnight at 856-691-8600 ext. 1502
or via email at mgoodnight@cccnj.edu as
she is heading up the program at Cumberland County College.