Elevate Birmingham

Mentoring outside of school: this is not your average mentoring program. The teacher-mentors spend time with the high school students after school, in the evenings, on weekends, throughout holidays and summer vacation. They host large group activities, small group activities, and one-on-one meetings with the students. On any day of the week, there may be a group of students going with teacher-mentor meeting for coffee with one student. During the year, 40% of our students participated in the small group mentoring program and 60% of our students participated in the large group mentoring program.

Adventure activities: elevate birmingham believes that young people grow through being challenged and having fun. Therefore, elevate hosts large and small group adventure activities throughout the year. These may include activities such as hiking, summer camp, overnight camping, fishing, water grit, exposes them to new experiences, and creates opportunities to deepen their relationships with their mentors. 60% of elevate students participated in an adventure activity outside of school.

College and career: through workshops, small group activies, college visits, and in-class curriculum activities, all elevate mentees go through a process of identifying their skills and desires for their future. The mentors, then, help each mentee develop a personal plan for their lives for when they graduate from high school. The mentors follow up with them through the summer and first year after high school, better ensuring they are not lost in the transition.