Mentoring Highlights - Trip to Fermilab, Wallet Wise 12/1, 12/8

Out in our West Suburban Program, on Saturday, December 1st, eighteen students and five mentors payed a three hour visit to the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia.  The trip to Fermilab was part of the S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum which we will be covered in future sessions.  Fermilab is operated by the Fermi Research Alliance; a joint venture between the University of Chicago, the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Universities Research Association.  Tour guides explained Fermilab's purpose, primary areas of focus as well as major energy and medical experimental findings.  The tour ended with a one hour lecture and question/answer period by renown Fermilab scientist Herman White.  Mr. White pointed out that much of the technology we make use of in our everyday lives, were fairly recently discovered by scientists throughout the world.  The day ended with a pizza lunch at the Quad County Urban League.

On December 8th, member Joel Foster delivered the Wallet Wise financial literacy curriculum, sponsored by Ally Bank.  Students from our South Side and West Side programs met at Chicago State University and were introduced to budgeting and credit concepts, as they embark upon their journey as becoming responsible financial stewards.

We also got a special treat as Joshua Murfree, Vice Chairman of Operations for 100 Black Men of America  out of Atlanta, stopped by to chat with our students and check out the operation.

Our the next couple weekends, all of our programs will engage in fun social activities, games and treats as we wrap up for the holidays.  Here's to a great 2012 and an even better start to 2013!

Post Election Day Wrap-Up, 11/10-11/17

It's been a VERY busy month for the Chapter and our mentees!  First off, it's with great pleasure that we are announcing the Chicago Chapter as a Pathway for Success grant recipient - a Corporate Workforce Readiness initiative sponsored by Wells Fargo.  Over the next six months, 20 students will be identified to go through a rigorous program culminating in three week paid internships from some of our respective corporate partners.

The young men in our South Side, West Side and West Suburban Programs spent time recapping the 2012 Presidential Election.  Students and mentors offered their opinions concerning election results, exit poll questions, as well as their respective feelings of nervousness, cautious optimism and confidence throughout the day up until President Obama was officially declared our 44th President.

 

The natural progression from deep discussions about politics is naturally becoming adept at debating.  On the West Side, our young men have starting engaging in learning the foundation for successful debate - the elements of selecting a topic, formulating points/counterpoints, presentation skills, and respectful debate etiquette.  In all three sites, our S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) initiatives will be kicking of this winter.  In the West Suburbs, the students were given a preview of the upcoming field trip to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), in Batavia on Saturday, December 1st.  Mentors and volunteers highlighted the importance of math and science, and offered questions students might ask during the visit pertaining to professions in the math and science fields.  We're currently working with the Museum of Science and Industry along with the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) to line up speakers for the upcoming sessions at the other sites.

Of note:  On Saturday December 8th, and Chicago State, Joel Foster will be delivering Wallet Wise training a financial literacy program graciously sponsored by Ally Bank.  Finally, were are in the running for another Healthy Living Grant, sponsored by Coca Cola, focusing on nutrition, fitness, and healthy habits....wish us luck!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

P.S.  Make sure you join us for the 100BMC Holiday Toy Drive, next Wednesday, November 28th @ Excalibur Night Club, Downtown Chicago (http://100bmc.org/index.php/holiday-toy-drive)

College Scholarship Fair Recap, West Suburban Program Launch

On October 13th, 2012, the Chicago Chapter held their 10th Annual College Scholarship Fair at UIC, sponsored by State Farm.  Close to 3,000 students and 200 schools were in attendance, as hundreds of on site acceptances were granted and scholarships were given to outstanding students in the Chicagoland area. Visits from several dignitaries and local celebrities made the day extra special, as families also attended workshops on financial aid and exam preparedness, and corporate partners were wowed by the manifestation of the hard work of our members and volunteers. Our mentees showed up in force to help keep things running smoothly as well. Kudos to Ray Coleman, CSF Chairman and his team for making yet another fair the biggest and best.

October 20th was back to the business of mentoring at our West and South Side sites, but of special note was the re-launch of the West Suburban program, held at the Quad County Urban League in Aurora. Under the leadership of Al Demming, dozens of mentees, volunteers, and parents came out to learn more about the history of our organization, the programming, and our 2012-13 curriculum. We look forward to growing this effort and becoming yet another model of excellence in serving our youth. Over the next few weeks in all the programs, as we near the election and beyond, we will be discussing civics/politics, making sure the students stay engaged as issues very important to them will be taken on by the next administrations locally and nationally.

2012-13 Mentoring Update, 9/29-10/6

The West Side Program kicked off on Saturday, September 29th at the Major Adams Center (125 N. Hoyne). The orientation session covered goal-setting, a discussion of the curriculum and activities with parents, and ice-breaking exercises for the young men. On the South Side, over the last two weeks, we have been preparing the students for this weekend's College Scholarship Fair, as well as goal-setting and planning for the 2012-13 cycle.  The goals and actions plans center around academic and personal goals, and we'll use the metrics that come out of these exercises to measure our effectiveness as a chapter, and identify developmental areas for the mentees. In the West Suburbs, our volunteers and mentors met to prepare for the re-launch of that program, which will be at the Quad County Urban League at 1685 N. Farnsworth in Aurora, starting on October 20th.  We've had a lot of enthusiasm around the re-launch, from the number mentors, to the number of prospective students, to the schools and other partners/community organizations that are assisting in our newest endeavor. As we approach Election Day, the topics will center around lessons in civics and politics, before we launch our new S.T.E.M. initiative (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). There is STILL time to register for the College Scholarship Fair (www.100bmc.org), Saturday, October 13th from 9AM-2PM at UIC.  We hope to see everyone, as we help make the dreams of our students come true.

2012-13 Mentoring Kicks-Off!!

On Saturday, September 22nd at Chicago State, our South Side program had its inaugural session.  Under the leadership of Andre Edmonds, it was great to see parent, mentor and mentee faces, new and old, learning about our new curriculum, focusing more this year on science, technology, engineering, and math, in addition to the normal college readiness, financial literacy and life skills topic to which they been accustomed.  We will be implementing a new student blog, as well as our initiatives geared to the demonstration of leadership, critical to their success as they move through high school and onto their secondary education.

Of course, we also used it as an opportunity to promote our 10th Annual College Scholarship Fair, 9AM Saturday, October 13th at UIC.

Our West Side program will start this Saturday, September 29th, at the Major Adams Center, 125 N. Hoyne (10AM-12PM).

Our West Suburban program re-launch begins on Saturday, October 20th at Quad County Urban League in Aurora, 1685 N. Farnsworth (10AM-12PM).

Finally, our Michele Clark Magnet School program will begin (tentatively) on Tuesday, October 9^th (3:00PM-5:00PM).

For more info, visit (www.100bmc.org)