St. Francis Neighborhood Center The St. Francis Reader, Monthly Newsletter February 2014

Why Mentoring Matters Since the beginning of the year, we've been working very hard to match each Power Kid with a caring mentor. Do mentors matter that much? At-risk children usually have one or more of the following characteristics: being held back a grade, poor attendance, behavioral problems, low socioeconomic status or poverty, low achievement, substance abuse, or teenage pregnancy. These factors are also closely associated with dropping out of school. Students who are labeled atrisk often face exceptional challenges, such as abuse, poverty, or lack of parental guidance. Negative attitudes toward school, teachers and school achievement are often associated with academic failure. Alienation from school administrators, classmates, and teachers is also a common characteristic of at-risk youth. Generally, children are considered at risk if they are likely to fail, either in school or in life.

How Mentoring Can Turn It Around! Improved Grades and School Attendance  Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip class Staying Drug Free  Youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking Improved Communication Skills  Mentors teach young people how to relate well to all kinds of people and help them strengthen communication skills Prevent and Alleviate Depression and Other Mental Illness  The strongest benefit to at-risk children is a reduction in depressive symptoms. Please make a difference in the life of an at-risk child! Email [email protected] for details.

Current Mentors and Mentees Open Up About Their Experiences Meet Dominick Dominick is a nine year old third grader at John Eager Howard Elementary School in Reservoir Hill. He's had a St. Francis mentor for the last year and has improved grades, behavior and self-esteem. His mentor, Matt, has been working with Dominick to improve his athletic ability and introduce him to places beyond Reservoir Hill such as the aquarium and Port Discovery. Since working with Matt, Dominick says, "lots of things have changed for me. I'm getting better at baseball and football and my grades have improved!" Dominick also reports that he's been happier since he met Matt . "I like hanging out and having someone to talk to. We get to do awesome things together. I like sharing stuff with Matt." At first, Dominick and Matt had to get to know each other, which can be a challenge for new mentors and mentees. "We both needed to trust each other at first. But now we're best friends," says Dominick. It's the little things that make Dominick smile. He says his best day with Matt was a simple trip to the mall. "One time me, Matt, Binky [Dominick's cousin] and my friend Greg got to go to the mall and look at video games. We got popcorn and smoothies. We had so much fun that day!" Meet Becky Becky and Asia, another one of our Power Kids, have been working together since January 2011. Becky had been volunteering and teaching art and design classes with the Power Project since it started, and Becky noticed that Asia always excelled on the creative projects they did. It was clear that Asia would really blossom if she had more time outside of school and St. Francis to make art. The first trip they had together was to visit the painting studios at MICA. They then made paintings together that Asia hung up in her room. They've been visiting museums, going to fashion shows, and making art ever since!

L to R: Becky, Asia and friend

Becky and Asia had some challenges to overcome. "My schedule is busy, so it's been hard to see her as much as I'd like. I deal with that by adding consistency when I can. We've gone to MICA's annual fashion show three years in a row now, and I always surprise her with a fun art-related Christmas present." Becky believes her work with Asia is making a difference. "I love seeing her grow up and explore her personal art making. She's insanely creative! I'd love to be there to help her apply to Baltimore Design School or Baltimore School for the Arts for middle school, and eventually maybe MICA!" If you're interested in mentoring please contact us at [email protected] and check our website at www.stfranciscetner.org and our Facebook page for more stories!

Our Power Kids in the News! On Tuesday, February 18, St. Francis staff attended Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's announcement of the new CEO for the Baltimore City Public Schools. The mayor, the school board and members of the press gathered to hear the announcement and meet the new superintendent, Gregory Thornton. The event took place at John Eager Howard Elementary School in Reservoir Hill, just blocks from the St. Francis Neighborhood Center! We were more than delighted to see that many of our Power Kids were chosen to serve as ambassadors for the visitors that day. We couldn't help but sneak a few pictures of our kids right before the press conference began. Congratulations to our next generation of leaders who were chosen to witness a newsworthy day in Baltimore City! Be sure to visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for more stories about our Power Kids!

Upcoming Events Don't miss these fun events coming up in February.  Friday, February 21 - Mentor training at the center starting at 3 pm. Please let us know if you'd like to join us!  Wednesday, February 26 - Family Engagement Night with guest speakers from Kennedy Krieger who will give tips on dealing with "tweens". This event is for Power Project families.  Thursday, February 27 - Help us with our quarterly mailing! If you can volunteer a few hours to help stuff letters, we'd sure appreciate it! Please email [email protected] and let us know!  Wednesdays in February and March - The last day of the current yoga session is Wednesday, February 26. The next session will start March 19 and go through April 23.

St. Francis Neighborhood Center 2405 Linden Ave. Baltimore, MD 21217 410-669-2612 www.stfranciscenter.org Staff Christi Green, Executive Director Bridget Blount, Associate Program Manager William Drew, Volunteer Maryland Coordinator Jessica Childress, Teaching Intern Jenna Gray, Teaching Intern Torbin Green, Program Manager Stephanie Neal, Communication Outreach Manager PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DONATE