The Black Star Project's Student Motivation and Mentoring Program, created in 1996, follows a classroom-mentoring program model that strives to:
Inspire and motivate students to do well in school
Expose students to various college and career options
Encourage students towards healthy and positive lives
Help students to create viable life plans and make good decisions
The Black Star Project manages one of the largest Student Motivation and Mentoring Programs in the United States. Since 1996, The Black Star Project's motivational speakers have mentored over 200,000 students in more than 220 Chicago public, private and parochial elementary and high schools. This program serves students of all ethnic, racial and faith backgrounds.
The Black Star Project's Student Motivation Program usually visits a member school four times per school year (every other month) with speakers addressing two or three classes of 6th- through 12th-grade students in groups of 20 to 35 students between 9:00am and 11:00am. For high schools, motivators may be asked to begin at 8:30 am. The motivators are from business, government, finance, education, construction, medicine, law, engineering, technology, communications and other professions.
Mentors talk to students about their jobs, the preparation necessary for their jobs, whether college or other training was required to take that job, and most importantly, what students need to do in school to prepare for a successful life in the world of work. Additionally, mentors offer students advice on making good decisions about basic life choices.
Classroom-based mentoring adds substantial value in the development of upper grade and high school students. When students see examples of what they can become, they are more likely to take school seriously, to do well in school academically and to graduate from elementary and high school with college aspirations.
We at The Black Star Project do all the work and scheduling; schools just give us a date and assign a contact person. Please call the Student Motivation and Mentoring Program Director at 773.285.9600 for more information about this program.
