- November 26, 2024
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Two years ago, Lanaysha Few was messing around in school and not thinking about much of the future. Today, things are different. She is graduating next month and planning to go to college to become a registered nurse.
“Having a mentor changed my life around,” Few said. “It’s had a big effect on me.”
Few is one of about 28 girls who participate in the African American Mentoring Program offered by the Flagler County School District. She and her mentor, Patricia Askew, as well as all other participants in the program, were recognized at an end-of-the-year celebration May 3. The program also includes a branch that provides mentoring services to boys, and it is meant to empower youth to make good decisions.
“I think everyone should have a mentor,” said Melba McCarty, who orchestrates the program. “It helps children see what their options are and get advice from someone older.”
The mentoring program works with students of all grade levels through weekly individual and group mentoring and workshops designed to enhance scholarships. But because mentoring is about relationships, the mentorship often extends beyond that: Few and Askew talk several times per week and even though Few is graduating, the two will stay in touch.
For as much benefit as Few said she got from the program, Askew said the program is just as rewarding.
“It’s about empowering (Few) to make her own decisions,” Askew said. “My job is not to judge, and my job is not to give answers. It’s to lay out options and ask (Few) for her opinion. Most of the solutions we find to problems are her idea.”
The two talk about everything from school and the future to personal life and problems. All components of a person’s life can affect success, so it is important to be open about all of them, Askew said.
“(Askew) is like a friend now,” Few said. “It works because we have that trust and relationship.”
Few was reluctant about the program when she joined two years ago, but not anymore. Askew is her second mentor and will remain her mentor even after graduation.
“I would encourage any kid to join the program,” Few said. “It changed a lot for me.”
Anyone interested in mentoring a child can contact the school district’s student services department at 437-7526, Ext. 2300.
