NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio — Ma’lik Hicks knows exactly what he’s looking for in a mentor.
“I want somebody who can, like, help me achieve my goals and go farther in life than where I am right now,” said Hicks, a student in North College Hill High School’s class of 2027.
“Because of social media,” Hicks said being a high school student can be “overwhelming” at times. (But “normally, throughout the day, it’s chill.”)
It’s partly why he found himself at a mentor-mentee introduction program at his high school on Monday.
About a dozen students met adults from around the community who have volunteered their time to mentor them in the coming weeks, months and years.
The Rally Champs youth mentoring program is organized by the Preston Brown Foundation. It matches “students with caring adults who invest their time to develop a positive relationship with a deserving student,” the organization said.
“Studies show relationships with caring adults is the primary protective factor of youth mental health,” the program’s flyer states.
It’s a concept that was a topic of discussion at last week’s WCPO 9 Search for Solutions Community Conversation on mental health.
“It’s not always rocket science. Sometimes it just takes the effort and community force behind it,” said Patrice McDowell-Brown, executive director of the Preston Brown Foundation.
As she cut pizza for mentors and mentees at the high school, McDowell-Brown said she was “ecstatic” at the introductions.
“This is just kind of like the first step, but it was an important first step,” she said, adding parental orientation and consent comes next.
Retired nurse Jill Byrd signed up to be one of the mentors.
“I feel like I’m signing up to be not just a friend, but a guide. Someone who will listen, someone who can safely assist a student where they’re needed,” she said.
Byrd sees her role as a trusted adult to a teen who might feel uncomfortable going to a parent or guardian with an issue.
“We're not going to know everything,” she said. “We can't do everything, but we can find someone who has the answer and go there.”
The program is in collaboration with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, where Marie Nicks serves as the director of volunteer engagement.
This is an amazing opportunity for young people to have another layer of support to help them to achieve their goals, to grow as a person, and to continue to be successful academically,” Nicks said.
Nicks, once a high school dropout, now has two bachelor's degrees and a master’s degree. She attributes her success to the high school principal who became her mentor. She said she feels she has come full circle: “I’m paying it forward.”
“Now I’m able to help adults be mentors,” said Nicks.
