One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.”
— John C. Maxwell
January is National Mentoring Month, and it’s a perfect time because January starts the beginning of a new calendar year. Though we recognize International Mentoring Day on January 17th each year while honoring the birthday of the iconic Muhammad Ali, National Mentoring Day on October 27th–and Thank Your Mentor Day is celebrated on January 21st.
What is National Mentoring Month
Established in 2002 and recognized yearly by the President of the United States and administration, National Mentoring Month is a time to celebrate the power of mentoring and encourage others to explore how mentoring programs can enable organizations to create more productive, engaged, and satisfied people.
https://chronus.com/national-mentoring-month
In a conversation with Derrick Billups, Director of the Chester Boys and Girls Club, and two of his staff members, Angie Johnson and Clayton Gathers, it became totally clear the stark contrast of mentoring effects on the lives of those who do and don’t get mentored.
Billups, a father, husband and entrepreneur, says that he’s been a mentor most of his life. Beneath his tough, no-nonsense exterior is an understanding, engaging, and at times self-deprecating spirit that the children and young adults are drawn to …an air of gravitas.
“I was raised in a single-parent household. I never had a relationship with my father. The architect of my life was my mother. Women are the strongest people, they have to be, and it’s a good thing for all of us. Raised in North Philadelphia, a product of Strawberry Mansion High School, I saw firsthand the choices that youth in urban communities are faced with,” said Billups. I have 3-adult children, whom my wife and I have raised from the beginning of their lives. When they were young, my role in their lives was that of a parent …telling them what to do, what time to come in, and things of that nature. Now that they’re mature adults, my role seems to have morphed into that of a mentor …giving life advice, listening to their problems, sharing my experience, gently suggesting solutions without telling them what to do, and, in general, just continuing to guide them in a positive direction.
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Thank you for reading Lorraine Lavender-Sams’ article on scoopnewsusa.com. For more on “The Importance of Mentorship in Communities of Color”, please subscribe to SCOOP USA Media. Print subscriptions are $75 and online subscriptions (Print, Digital, and VIZION) are $90. (52 weeks / 1 year).
