Podcasts

Slow Ideas and the power of mentoring

by Jean Rhodes In the recent New Yorker article “Slow Ideas,” science writer Atul Gawande laments the resistance amongst medical professional and others to the adoption of proven ideas. He describes how, despite evidence, physicians were slow to adopt Joseph Lister’s simple, proven methods of sterilization that could slow the spread of germs. Likewise, he described […]

Encourage relationship building between youth & adults with these 10 youth-inspired changes to your organization’s environment

By Bernadette Sánchez, Tené Gray, and Elsa Rodriguez We have been working on a research project with Hive Chicago to understand relationship building between youth and adults. Hive Chicago is a diverse network of civic and cultural institutions that is focused on transforming the learning landscape by empowering youth and educators to enact Connected Learning. […]

Pedro Noguera: Why students need more than ‘grit’

By Pedro A. Noguera and Anindya Kundu Recently, “grit” has received growing attention from educators and others as the critical ingredient to academic success. Given our nation’s admiration for the rugged individual, it is understandable why we choose to glorify guts and grit. However, it is less clear why the idea has become such a […]

On Being Our Brother’s Keeper

by John Bridgeland, CEO, Civic Enterprises and Melody Barnes, Director, White House Domestic Policy Council A former gang member and high school dropout, James Mackey is the kind of kid most of us feared and too many ignored. If we paid any attention to James, we thought he would never be a contributing member of society and […]

An interview with Jane Pauley

Jane Pauley is an inspiration to the encore movement – and a leading light. A longtime Purpose Prize judge, she has been the abiding presence at our annual Purpose Prize event over the past three years. Now, in her compelling book, “Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life”, Jane provides a vision for […]

Black Males Need Opportunities, Mentors

by Erin Hodge-Williams “I’m reaching out to some of America’s leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential.” President Barack Obama, 2014 State of the Union address.  Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. President Obama reminded us […]

The importance of inspiring hope

This month, Amachi Vice President Muna Walker, has shared her own match story and the importance of inspiring “hope” when mentoring.  In December 2004 when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County matched me with my 14 year-old Little Sister, Desiree, I had no idea it was the beginning of a lifetime friendship.    I had […]

Connecting the dots during National Mentoring Month

by Marty Martinez January is National Mentoring Month, and programs all across the country celebrate the incredible impact mentors have on the lives of youth every day. As program leaders, we know the role mentors play is critically important in ensuring that the young people we serve have a caring voice, a listening ear and […]

Teen Social Struggles Can Last Into Adulthood

Allen, J. P., Chango, J. and Szwedo, D. (2013), The Adolescent Relational Dialectic and the Peer Roots of Adult Social Functioning. Child Development. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12106 Posted by Fariss Samarrai-Virginia U. VIRGINIA (US) — Most teens who fail to build strong, independent relationships with peers continue to have social and romantic issues into adulthood, a study shows. […]

A call to action on behalf of our nation’s youth

By Rev. W. Wilson Goode, Sr. We are in an interesting season of social and political action.  This is our moment to push this movement to the next level and beyond. This is our season to elevate the status of black men and boys. Back home in Philadelphia the National Urban League is meeting. One […]