Editor seeks essence of mentoring young

Too many parents lack the ability to negotiate the educational system for their kids. Some work so hard they haven't had time to ask their children about their dreams for the future. Other young people come from dysfunctional homes where surviving, not thriving, is the top priority. An adult's attention can make an enormous difference in their opportunities for success.

Taylor fully grasped the mentoring movement when her Essence team responded to the post-Katrina carnage in New Orleans. They brought dollars and hours to the troubled area and, as they became immersed in the needs of residents, they launched Essence Cares to help vulnerable youth and the poor in that region.

Now Taylor will put her full-time efforts into turning Essence Cares into the National Cares Mentoring Movement, in concert with other groups such as the National Urban League and YWCA, to get "every able black adult to take under wing a vulnerable young person."

Taylor hopes to find key partners who embrace the challenge of mentorship through her movement. In Washington, D.C., for example, Mentors Inc. supports struggling high school students and sends them to college, fully armed for challenges. The students who transitioned from Mentors Inc. to Bennett College, where I am president, came with more challenges, and also more support, than many other students.

Taylor's movement transcends organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters to work toward providing a helping hand to every young person who wants one. She operates from Luke 12:48, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required."

I hope Taylor's movement will inspire others to let their backs become the bridge that young people can cross into the next phase of their lives. In this new year, some will embark on a number of self-improvement efforts. But there may be no greater gift you can give to yourself and to the world than the gift of mentorship.

Julianne Malveaux is president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C., and treasurer of the Recreation Wish List Committee of Washington, D.C.

USAToday.com

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2008/01/editor-seeks-es.html#more