S/PA Mentors and Mentees Reunited at St Benedict's Prep

[SUMMIT, NJ] – October 29, 2022 - The Board of Student/Partner Alliance(S/PA), a Summit based non-profit, which supports low-income, urban high schools in the greater Newark and Jersey City areas is pleased to announce the completion of our first in person mentor/mentee event since the start of the pandemic. More than 50 students and 18 Partners and Mentors gathered together and shared stories face to face on a crisp fall day. While for some mentors and mentees, this was their first in person meeting, for juniors and seniors, there were happy reunions between mentors and mentees who had to rely on zoom conversations or texts to keep their relationship strong.

Margaret Momber, Executive Director of Student/Partner Alliance notes, “We are pleased to have been able to be back safely on St Benedict’s Prep campus on October 28th. To ensure the safety of our students and our mentors, and according to state regulations, we required proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test before admitting our mentors into the outdoor tent that St. Benedict’s Prep hosted us in. Personally, I was so excited to reconnect with my mentees in person for the first time in 18 months.”

Our traditional in-person mentoring program shifted to a virtual platform in 2020, and we have been using Zoom for our events. With the support of outside consultants, we continued to support our students throughout the pandemic, and we are continuing to operate in a hybrid fashion. This fall, we held virtual student and mentor orientation and will hold a virtual college preparatory information session in November.

S/PA Board Treasurer Chris Birosak notes, “Today’s student luncheon at St Benedict’s was amazing and a perfect example of why S/PA continues to be a positive influence on our sponsored students, not just financially but through mentorship as well.”

While Zoom got us all thru COVID, nothing beats face to face interaction. I am really pleased that so many of our mentors and mentees gathered in person today at St. Benedict's. It was a real success.” Says Emmett Daly, S/PA President.

If you are interested in learning more about being a mentor with Student/Partner Alliance, please visit our website at www.studentpartneralliance.org.

ABOUT:

Student/Partner Alliance

The mission of Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) is to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex, Hudson and Union counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and scholarships, and ultimately to lead successful and productive lives.

Research from mentor.org shows that mentors play a powerful role in providing young people with the tools to strive and thrive, to attend and engage in school, and to reduce or avoid risky behavior like drug use. In turn, these young people are:

– 55% more likely to be enrolled in college

– 81% more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities

– 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities.

– More than twice as likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports team.

Yet, the same research shows that one in three young people in our country will grow up without a mentor. Today, in our community there are so many young people who could benefit from having a mentor outside their family.

To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities with us visit www.studentpartneralliance.org. If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact me at akent@studentpartneralliance.org.