Changing the odds: why we invested in a mentorship program at Green Dot

By Theo Ossei-Anto

There is a huge body of evidence that indicates the powerful and long-lasting impact that quality mentorship relationships have on young people. Research shows that students are far more likely to demonstrate success when they have a network of meaningful relationships that they can rely on for support. At Green Dot Public Schools, we believe that bringing about social change requires this same type of collaboration among individuals, organizations, and resources all working together to remove the systemic barriers that often keep students in low-income communities from reaching their full potential. In short, we are more powerful together than we are alone. Now more than ever, we are harnessing the power of mentorship and relationships to cultivate a collective power that will improve outcomes for our students, while making an impact on the public education system and our society as a whole.

For over 20 years, we have prioritized a high-quality, free education. We know that putting students on the path to success in college, leadership, and life takes more than just the lessons they learn in the classroom. That is why we also champion wrap-around services for all students, psychological support, sports, and extracurriculars. Yet, even with all of those supports in place, we recognized early in the pandemic that our students would suffer disproportionately relative to their more affluent peers. We knew it was our responsibility to provide new ways to support our students’ current and future success, and to provide more opportunities for others to partner with us to create lasting change in the communities we serve.

It is to this end that Green Dot recently launched an ambitious mentorship initiative, a program committed to pairing each of our 14,000+ middle and high school students with a professional mentor within the next 5 years.

Mentorship has been traditionally executed as a face-to-face opportunity, but the pandemic began to show what is possible in virtual environments. We realized we could bring a whole new level of resource to our students if we didn’t limit professional partnerships and mentors to the geographies where our students currently live. So, in our program, mentors spend a few hours monthly connecting with students online both through direct message and video conference. Mentor-mentee interactions are guided by a structured curriculum that emphasizes social-emotional learning, relationship building, career exploration, and networking. And safety is prioritized over all else, with all sessions facilitated and supervised by Green Dot teachers and staff members.

Yet, what makes our mentorship program most unique is the impact that it can have on society at large. At the same time, they are working alongside students, all mentors are required to participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training designed to help them lead with trust and vulnerability not only in their mentoring relationship, but also in the workplace. Because we recruit most mentors through corporate partnerships, this can have an expansive impact.

We believe that when a critical mass of people in a partner organization engage in an intentional and structured mentorship experience with Green Dot students, it will create a shared experience from which these professionals can empathetically and passionately connect the challenges our students face to issues of systemic inequality. These shared experiences serve as a catalyst, helping to create a commitment to inclusion in those organizations that makes them better suited to support employees of color now and hire and support our students in the future. We are grateful to our partners, such as FedEx, whose employees are currently mentors, participating in catalyzing this change.

Author and theologian Frederick Buechner once said, “Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need.” We know this is the right time to launch this program because our students are our greatest joy, and this is a time of great need. There are many professionals who believe they have something to offer our students and are eager to contribute learning captured over years of life experience. Imparting wisdom is not a one way road, however.. Each of our students also has a story that when shared, imparts wisdom in its own right, and in the context of a safely curated relationship, builds greater knowledge and empathy.

It is our collective responsibility to change the odds for our students, and empower them to do the same for themselves and for those around them. We are proud of this launch and excited to continue building a world where all students have access to the high quality education and dynamic networks necessary to build pathways to prosperity in the communities we serve.

The author is Director of Mentorship at Green Dot Public Schools.