Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee

A cohort of 60 to 70 low-income ninth-grade students at South-Doyle High School will be recruited to participate in Mentor 2.0 to provide vulnerable children with the support and guidance they need to graduate from high school and achieve success in college and the workforce. Mentor 2.0 represents a new strategy to engage students featuring weekly classroom instruction led by a BBBS facilitator along with weekly email reinforcement lessons. Mentor 2.0 focuses on the non-cognitive skills related to motivation, integrity, and interpersonal communication so important in the workplace. At the completion of each skill group, students and mentors will meet for an in-person activity further emphasizing these newly acquired skills. Ideally, the mentor/mentee match will continue through high school graduation and into college or technical school. A new cohort will be selected each year to continue engaging students in this training.