Happy New Year!  We're glad to be back after the holidays and are now half way through the school year. This time of year is when many mentors will see a lot of growth in their mentees both socially and academically as well as in their mentoring relationships.  As the new calendar year is upon us, we are also taking this time to assess the organizational goals set in August. As part of our three-year strategic plan, one of our goals in addition to continuing to grow our mentor base in our core one-on-one mentoring program, is to expand our partnerships in mentoring programs, specifically serving high school students. To that end, this fall DSABC entered into a partnership with  Danbury Early College Opportunity (DECO) Program at Danbury High School which is a comprehensive initiative designed to provide participating students with opportunities to prepare for post-secondary education and career readiness. DECO has adopted eMentoring by pairing students enrolled in the program with an industry mentor. Correspondence between mentors and mentees occur regularly through an electronic platform to provide support and guidance on the topics presented in the DECO WorkPlace Learning class. We are excited to collaborate with Danbury High School on this innovative educational initiative.

This January will mark the 15th annual National Mentoring Month sponsored by MENTOR and Danbury Schools and Business Collaborative. DSABC is participating in this campaign aimed at expanding quality mentoring opportunities to connect more of Danbury's students with positive adult role models. Concurrently with National Mentoring Month, MENTOR will be launching a longer-term public awareness and recruitment campaign called In Real Life. In Real Life focuses on the real-life benefits of mentoring to young people and their mentors. DSABC is supporting this theme, which provides us an opportunity to talk about the real-life benefits of mentoring, by encouraging our mentors and mentees to share their stories. 

DSABC's one-on-one Mentor program has produced countless "in real life" stories of success over the past 26 years and now that we are expanding our programming to include Workplace Learning e-mentoring, we are continually seeking new volunteers as well as business partnerships in the greater Danbury area.  National Mentoring Month is an ideal opportunity to let business leaders know that they can help strengthen our community through mentoring.

Research has shown that when matched through a quality mentoring program, like DSABC, mentors can play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools they need to make responsible decisions, stay focused and be more engaged in school.  This same report found that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor.  Today, in the Danbury area there are roughly 100 students on our waiting list who could benefit from having a DSABC mentor.

As we focus on engaging more community members in volunteering as mentors, we will share a simple message:  The wonderful thing about mentoring is that you are already equipped to be a great mentor. You bring to the table something unique that these students do not have in their lives ... the ability to be their friend.

Sincerely,