Missouri Mentoring Partnership (MMP) Testimonials: Deanna Deanna had previous employment experience, but it had been a while since she had worked and she needed a little bit of advice and encouragement. The staff was able to re-train Deanna on how to effectively look for employment. After several weeks of applications and interviews, her hard work and persistence paid off. Deanna started working at Pizza Shoppe in St. Joseph with Patrick and Will. With her prior background and personality, the new job was a great fit. She kept going, “NO MATTER WHAT!” She has now been there over a year, and has done a great job! Congratulations! Now I Get It! “First Impressions are Lasting Impressions”, “Prepare Ahead of Time”, “Proof Read” These are phrases that the youth participants grew weary of hearing during our classes. A few weeks ago we had the privilege of working with a young man who dared to dream of his true capabilities. When we first started working with him, he was shy, quiet, and we had to work at earning his trust. As the weeks progressed, and he completed the job readiness classes, it was time for him to start applying for jobs. He had his resume and cover letters ready to go with a stack of job applications. More importantly, he changed out of his (16 year-old) “gear”, and put on a nice pair of pants and a polo shirt. I noticed while we were walking through the mall, he seemed to stand a foot taller. As we were getting into the car, I heard him say, “I finally get it!” “What?” I asked him. He told me that he finally understood why it was so important for him to get “dressed-up”. His feeling was that people were approving what he was doing. He felt respected. It is not our intention to make you uncomfortable, but we try to get people to start respecting themselves. When that happens we can all say, “I FINALLY GET IT!” What part of work-site mentoring has benefited you the most?
“I finally got a job!!! I would encourage anyone to come and join the program.” Why did you become a mentor?
“I wanted to give positive insight to a younger generation.”
“The mentoring program is worth it for our community.” |