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MENTOR New York: The National Mentoring Partnership Organization Hosts its 16th New York Conference

Written by Long Island  |  03. March 2020

Hauppauge, New York – The mentoring movement is taking hold as experts increase training, recruitment, awareness and advocacy to help young people succeed.  MENTOR New York, an affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership organization, which helps develop mentoring programs throughout New York State, will host its 16th  New York conference on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the Tilles Center at LIU Post in Brookville. Over a hundred professional experts, organization founders and educators are expected to attend to learn how to help and encourage young people to use their voices to succeed. 

This year’s theme, Encouraging Youth Voice, features a line-up of young presenters including Columbia University Undergrad Hana Mangat, co-founder of Sikh Kid 2 Kid.  16 year old Mohamed Mbaye, originally from Senegal, will also be speaking, sharing how he met his mentor on the basketball court and with his help, went on to create the clothing brand, We Got Game. 

“In today’s world, it is no longer enough for adults to do the speaking,” said Brenda Jimenez, CEO of MENTOR New York.  “Young people have shown time and time again that they are interested in tackling the issues that affect their generation, and they are ready to speak up and take action about the things they care about. As the caring adults in their lives, we need to do everything we can to make them feel supported. We need to set them up for success. This is the reason for the 2020 Mentoring Matters Conference.”

The conference will include expert presenters and panelists immersed in the mentoring movement, including:

  • Hana Mangat, Undergrad at Columbia University and co-founder of Sikh Kid 2 Kid – who will share her story on co-founding this organization which educates young people about the Sikh culture to promote inclusion and understanding.
  • 16 year old Mohamed Mbaye, originally from Senegal – who will be sharing how he met his mentor on the basketball court and with his help, went on to create the clothing brand, We Got Game. 
  • Crystal Kim, Mentoring Program Manager, APEX for Youth - who will lead a workshop on using social media as a tool for connection and amplifying youth voice.
  • Xavier Bishop, Program Director, The Child Center of NY - who will share tools and tips with adults on how to build at-school mentoring programs.
  • Drug Free Long Island – which will teach mentors how to have meaningful conversation regarding vaping and drugs.
  • Daniel Russell, Executive Director, Bridging the Gap – will teach mentors best practices for mentoring students of color.
  • Rebecca Sanin, President/CEO, Health & Welfare Council of LI - who will discuss the importance of the 2020 Census and what it means to Long Island – one of the most under-counted regions for youth.
  • Nadia Jean-Francois, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, ERASE Racism – who will speak about how mentors can help ensure students of color voices are heard.    

“MENTOR New York is at the center of the mentoring movement partnering with adults who want to make a difference in the lives of young people and elevate their voices. By providing them with cutting-edge tools and resources, MENTOR New York is fueling mentoring relationship and fostering mentoring cultures that will give our young people the confidence to take on tomorrow’s leadership roles or even develop their own,” continued Jimenez.  “We want to thank our supporters, Bethpage Federal Credit Union and LIU Post, who continue to stand by our side to take mentoring to scale on Long Island and throughout NY.”

For tickets to attend the conference and a conference schedule, please click here.

For over 25 years, MENTOR New York has leveraged its expertise in relationship development and program management to advise and train its partners about how to start, manage and improve quality youth-facing programs.  MENTOR New York’s mission is to fuel the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships for young people and close the mentoring gap in New York.

Today, MENTOR NY conducts approximately 100 separate training seminars each year and trains approximately 1,500 new mentors annually.  The organization creates 75 new programs each year and supports about 850 existing programs serving more than 80,000 young people across New York State.

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