We Are Committed to Supporting Boys, Men and Dads In Their Communities |
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Greetings!
We would like to thank you in helping our organization drive change for boys, young men, men and fathers in Santa Cruz County. These past few months have been a challenge but we continue to remain upbeat and positive. We have been extremely busy during these trying times. The pandemic and the recent wildfires have changed our approach to the work we do, but we are accomplishing much despite the tribulations we all face.
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MENtors was recently chosen as one of forty Santa Cruz County non-profits to participate in this year’s Goodtimes Santa Cruz Gives Holiday Fundraising Event.
This is a great opportunity to bring awareness to our work so we can continue to offer high quality programs to those most in need. The campaign kicks off on Wednesday, November 18th and runs until the end of 2020. It’s easy to donate—go to the Santa Cruz Gives website and browse the individual profile pages to learn about each participating non-profit. You can review the various mission statements and find out about the “Big Ideas” for the coming year. The initial contribution for MENtors came in the form of a $1,000.00 challenge grant from executive director Deutron Kebebew and the MENtors Board. It is our goal to raise $50,000 for our weekly group programming for boys, young men and dads and our 100 MENtors Who Care Initiative.
Please take the time to check out Goodtimes Santa Cruz Gives! And of course, remember to put a donation into the MENtors shopping cart! www.santacruzgives.org/nonprofit/mentors
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3rd Annual MENtors Conference |
On another note, MENtors is pleased to attain the assistance and cooperation of Mark Greene, an award winning author whose articles and books on parenting, masculinity and culture have been well received by millions. Mark adds a scholarly voice to our work with boys, men and dads. We were quite fortunate to have him as our opening speaker for our third annual MENtors Conference, which took place on Saturday, November 7th. The title of the conference was “Resiliency and Connection in Times if Covid: Helping students and parents survive and thrive in these times.” Besides having Mr. Greene speak, there were panel discussions with professionals and practitioners in the family counseling and coaching fields. Topics focused on the difficulties of remote learning, communication strategies, defeating depression and anxiety and creating nurturing spaces for students to learn. Although the gathering was on the Zoom platform, the connections between the speakers and audience was readily apparent. Both Mr. Greene and the panelists engaged in a lively group dialogue and were able to answer and discuss several questions from the chat room.
In addition, the just concluded conference will act as a springboard for a series of talks and webinars that MENtors will be launching on early January 2021 and continuing through spring. The recurring theme of the lectures will be developing and maintaining resiliency in the coming year. We are happy to announce that Mr. Greene will be rejoining us for the inaugural presentation.
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Our 100 MENtors Who Care organization is steadily growing and continues to thrive with lively on-line meetings. In September we convened our first ever Book Club gathering. The group read Mark Greene’s, “The Little Me-Too Book for Men”. The discussion explored our personal experiences with “man box culture”, a societal constraint that conditions males from an early age to accept stereotypical behaviors that result in stoicism, isolation, non-connectivity, suppression of women and a tendency to resolve conflicts in violent or unhealthy ways. Mr. Greene attended the meeting and was able to explain the construct of a hierarchy that places male aggressiveness at the apex of society, thereby suppressing women and other men who don’t fit the “man box” mold. The author offered strategies to overcome this entrenched pecking order, centering on communication skills and the acceptance of a spectrum of masculinity in order to enact positive change. Our group found the conversation stimulating and we plan on holding further Book Club meetings.
100 MENtors is always looking for dedicated new members. During the pandemic, volunteer hours have been curtailed and the meetings have been bi-monthly. However, enthusiasm is great and the organization is committed to making MENtors a huge success. When we return to a more “hands on” model, our boys, young men, men and fathers will see added benefits interacting with this energetic group. If you know of a person you think would be a good fit for 100 MENtors Who Care, please contact Deutron or one of the board members.
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MENtors continues to offer high-quality, on-line programming to its various support groups via the zoom platform. These past eight months have been challenging, to say the least, but our boys, young men and fathers are benefiting from the remote classroom settings. Currently, the MENtors program is collaborating with and teaching at three middle schools, EA Hall, Lakeview and Rolling Hills, as well as Santa Cruz High. We are servicing a wide population of needy students. We’ve started a Junior MENtors program and are exploring the addition of Watsonville High and Pajaro Valley High to our lineup of schools. Additionally, the graduates of our programs continue to be involved and are a tremendous asset to our new enrollees.
We are sustaining our support to fathers in the community and in the Probation System by providing five weekly fatherhood and co-parenting group meetings. These sessions focus mainly on parenting skills, childcare issues, financial and employment guidance, communication and social competency. We are also stressing mindfulness strategies to strengthen resiliency in dealing with the challenges of today’s world. We want fathers to thrive and become outstanding role models for their children and for other youth in the community. Some of our MENtor’s father participants, both present and past, have attended the recent conference on November 7th. Their stories are a powerful testimony to the success of our mission.
Over the summer, our MENtors board completed its annual retreat and focused on the strategic plan for furthering the organization’s goals of continuing to innovate on the needs of boys, men and dads in our community. We hope to grow and be a positive presence in Santa Cruz County for a long time. We are confident of our sustainability.
Best Wishes,
The MENtors Board of Directors
Deutron Kebebew, Executive Director
Rob Allen
Buzz Anderson
Richard Davis
John Williams
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MENtors Driving Change for Boys, Men and Dads
Phone: (831) 588-7592
Office address: 15 Madison St
Watsonville, CA 95076
Mailing address: PO Box 1585
Freedom CA 95019
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