February 1, 2013 / by EDGEucation / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles, Latest News
NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH, 2013
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Our American family is bound together by caring individuals who make it their mission to serve others. During National Mentoring Month, we pay special tribute to the men and women who enrich the lives of our young people and fortify the unbreakable bonds between one generation and the next.
Mentors know that helping a child unlock their full potential begins with care, guidance, and support — which is why my Administration is proud to celebrate mentorship nationwide through programs that help young people see the strength within themselves. We created the Corporate Mentoring Challenge, which encourages businesses across our country to open or expand mentoring programs that equip our youth with the tools to achieve. We have connected young men and women in the Washington, D.C., area with mentors at the White House, and we have partnered with groups across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build pathways to summer job opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth. And since 2010, we have worked to build strong connections between children and responsible adults through our Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative.
A supportive mentor can mean the difference between struggle and success. As we mark this important occasion, I encourage all Americans to spend time as a mentor and help lift our next generation toward their hopes and dreams.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2013 as National Mentoring Month. I call upon public officials, business and community leaders, educators, and Americans across the country to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.
BARACK OBAMA
December 26, 2012 / by EDGEucation / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles
1. Be patient
2. Listen and learn how the youth feels
3. Do not respond in hostile, sarcastic, or anxious manner
4. Observe youth’s subtle and non-verbal messages
5. Be non-judgemental
6. Allow youth to talk about their experiences in their own time
7. Respect youth’s confidence as long as they do not affect the health and welfare of youth and others
8. Don’t obsess about the truth
9. Be flexible and adaptable to new situations
September 10, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles
Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation & Merritt College Present: Aztec Run for Education 2012
It’s that time of the year again! Spanish Speaking Citizens’ Foundation’s Annual Aztec Run for education is coming and we invite you to participate in this year’s 5K run!
The Aztec Run for Education is currently enjoying a renaissance and growing fast. There are few runs like the Aztec Run in the Bay Area. A truly festive, family-oriented event, it features entertainment; unique team divisions for families, corporate groups, non-profits and open groups; and it is the only run that promotes fitness for our elected officials in the form of the annual Mayors Cup competition.
All proceeds from the Aztec Run go to support the educational programs of the Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation, an Oakland-based non-profit established in 1965. The SSCF was founded to improve the lives of Latinos in the Oakland area and dedicated to the mission of empowering the community and the individuals of the community to improve their quality of lives while upholding their rich Latino culture.
Over the years, the SSCF has evolved into a true family resource center, providing a range of services to families and individuals in the community. The educational programs include, but are not limited to Youth After School programs, La Raza Youth Leadership programs, college information and prep sessions for high school students, college-scholarships for high school seniors, and the Citizenship Empowerment Program, assisting immigrants in obtaining U.S. citizenship and becoming active participants in the civic and political process.
For more information about the Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation, please see their website at www.sscf.org
Saturday, September 15, 2012 at Merritt College 12500 Campus Drive, OAKLAND, CA 94619
8:00 am 5K Run Start
8:15 am 2 Mile Walk Start
9:00 am FREE Soccer Skills Clinic
9:30 am FREE Kiddie Run (1/4 mile)
10:00 am Mayor’s Cup Relay
10:30 am Team Relays (4x 200m, 4x 400m, 4x 800m)
Register Online at www.aztecrun.org or at http://www.aztecrun.org/files/Aztec_Run_Registration_Form9-2012.pdf
For more information call: 510-261-7839 ext.11
September 6, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles
Due to some difficulties encountered last year with school staff involvement due to budget, we decided to revamp our program and focus on strengthening our program components. Specifically, this year we have strengthen our data collection methods to better measure the impact of the program.
EDGEucation is excited to announce that this year, we have partnered with Hayward High School’s Puente Program to pair members of the community as mentors with high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and we need your help.
The mentorship responsibilities include:
-Meet with your student once a month and maintain communication (via email, phone, chat, skype, etc) 3-4 times a month.
-Attend a high school organized event at least once per semester.
Our goal is to increase the high school graduation attainment of underrepresented students and start conversations about higher education.
If you want to be part of this year’s mentoring pool, please send us an email detailing your background, personal and professional interest, and why you want to be a mentor to laura@myedgeucation.org
Join us and make a difference in our communities!
March 21, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles, Events, Mentors
Its that time of year again, where you get to help high school students from Hayward High School learn about your career and practice their networking skills. Please save the date and join us. There will be a little “happy hour” for adults after.
One of the things our Puente team wants our students to leave Hayward High with is a stronger networking ability. In that spirit, we are hosting our 3rd Annual “Grape Juice and Cheese” event on May 3rd from 6 to 8 pm in the Hayward High Library.
The idea is to bring professionals together from various fields and have students practice “working the room.” It could be a great opportunity for us to not only help my students grow, but it could serve to reconnect a lot of us and to extend our own networks. We are hoping to make this event something students not only remember but that gives them an edge when they are in similar settings in the future.
We are looking forward to your RSVP.
Thank you.
Lupe Santoyo, Puente Counselor
gsantoyo@husd.k12.ca.us
Joel Ochoa, Puente Teacher
February 28, 2012 / by EDGEucation / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles, Latest News
Two years ago Laura B. and Giovanni G. (founder of LAM) got inspired to make a difference in the life of young underrepresented students by pairing them with LAM members for a mentorship program. The program has evoled to include career fair participation at high schools and University visits for these students. We’ve paired over 100 mentors/mentees and hope to continue this growth!
With the help of LAM Member Masha as our pro-bono lawyer, we have been approved as a 501c.3 organization by the IRS!

What does this mean?
Section 501(c)(3) is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations. An entity must be organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes. One of the biggest distictions is that donations are tax deductable and we can apply for various grants! This source of income will help our organization grow, hire individuals, and really make an impact.
With this, EDGE is currently in a high momentum stage of growth. EDGE is a three board-member organization: Laura, Giovanni, and Jorel with new upcoming volunteers as various Committee Chairs. We continue to look for qualified mentors and volunteers.
Interested in joining our team as a mentor or volunteer? Please send an email to info@myedgeucation.org!
For more information, or to give a donation, please visit click here.
If you’re part of a corporate organization that supports 501c.3, please send an email to Giovanni – giovanni@myedgeucation.org to discuss opportunities for partnership.
Thank you for being part of this amazing journey.
February 9, 2012 / by EDGEucation / 3 Comments / Filed under Articles, Latest News
We are looking for strong leaders in the areas of:
Events/Programming
- Assist with event planning: University Visit, Career Day, Mentor Mixer
- Work closely with participating schools on Career Day
- Email mentors and students on a monthly basis
- Represent the organization in events
Teacher/Production
- Assist in the matching of mentors and students
- Keep open and clear communications with all participating school
- Keep schools/districts on schedule
- Represent the organization in events
Webmaster/Communication
- Lead all social communications for the organization
- Regularly update website
- Knowledge of WordPress [not required]
- Knowledge of mailchimp.com [not required]
- Assist in preparing and sending the newsletter
- Represent the organization in events
If you are interested and would like to get more information please email us at info@myedgeucation.org with your resume and a cover letter.
February 3, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles
Hello Mentors!
We are getting ready to work with our youngest cohort yet. We are looking for mentors to work with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in San Francisco from March – August. If you are interested please send us a brief paragraph describing your background, your current job, and your hobbies. [if you have done this already, please just reply with your full name so we can look up your application].
To be a mentor we require that you:
-Meet personally with your student at least once per month (could be at the student’s school)
-Communicate with your student 3-4 hours per month (could be through email, phone, chat, etc)
-Keep records of your meetings through EDGEucation’s website (will receive details once selected)
If you are selected to work with a student, you will be asked to complete a lifescan test, as well as get interviewed by the SFUSD staff during the month of February.
EDGEucation will host a mentor/student meeting, as well as other educational activities for other mentors and students to connect.
The mentoring program will run from March through August. In September we will start a new mentoring academic year
If you are interested, please send us your materials no later than February 20 at 5 pm to Laura Brady at laura@myedgeucation.org. Mentors will be selected by February 28th.
Thank you in advance.
EDGEucation Team
January 25, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles
Last year, Mission High School organized two career fairs for Juniors and Seniors with 36 speakers conducting 45 minute sessions on a wide variety of career areas. The fair was highly successful and they are doing it again, this time for Freshmen and Sophomore students. However, they need your help in finding speakers.
Mission High School asked the Freshman and Sophomore students to complete a questionnaire identifying their career interests so that we could arrange for speakers in those areas. At present the school is looking for Speakers to cover the following career areas;
Law
Photography
Physician
Judiciary Services, preferably a Judge
Veterinary Science
Dentist
Pharmacist
Fireman
Police Officer
Social Work/Probation Services
Solar Technology
Zoo/Animal Control
The sessions run from 1:45-2:30pm on February 14 & 16 in individual classrooms supervised by a teacher. Speakers are expected to be at the school no later than 1:30pm. On the Tuesday, there is a lunch and orientation for the speakers which was a very useful networking time prior to the presentations.
Sessions can be done by individuals or groups and have involved audio visual aids, props (one speaker brought a skeleton),surveys, question and answer time and handouts. Our main wish is to engage the students and have them interacting with the speakers to learn as much as possible about different jobs and careers in a specific field. Career paths into the profession, qualifications required and examples of a typical “day in the life of…” are helpful. If speakers can do both days, that is helpful but we are aware of people’s time constraints.
Mission High School has a very diverse student body and both the teachers and students take pride in their school. Carlos Santana is a graduate of Mission High and gave a private concert for students in November, practicing with the music students and performing with them on stage. James Olmos spoke about the importance of staying in school and talked about all the possible jobs and careers that students could enter. We are trying to ensure that students see opportunities rather than limitations by bringing mentors into our school to share their knowledge.
If you are interested, please contact Evelyn Bealby at evelyn@bealby.com and be part of the change!
January 25, 2012 / by Laura Brady / Make A Comment / Filed under Articles, Latest News
New report examines enrollment history, achievement gaps, and persistence in school for English Language Learners (ELL) students and reclassified ELL students as compared to non-ELL students. The study uses statewide individual-level data sets merged from students’ entry to exit in the state’s public school system for graduate cohorts of 2006, 2007, and 2008. Results show that after accounting for academic achievement, behavioral issues, background, and district contexts, the longer a student is designated as an ELL, the more likely he or she is to drop out. This relationship may suggest that protracted ELL status leads to higher incidence of dropping out of high schools.
The article was published last monthby the National CCenter for Research on Evaluation, Standards, & Student Testing (CRESST) titled “Relationships among and between ELL status, demographic characteristics, enrollment history, and school persistence”
