HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Harrisburg School District is working side by side with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capitol Region to find mentors who can guide and inspire students.
“It’s somebody who can be a [mentor] to them, somebody who has gone through and experienced some difficulties in life because we all have. Someone who can say ‘hey, here’s how I persevered to get through all those things, and here’s what I can do to help you,'" said Harrisburg School District Superintendent Eric Turman.
The program comes a month after the school district held a forum to address the violence in the Harrisburg School District. Superintendent Eric Turman says this is a step in the right direction.
“It’s one piece of the puzzle and there’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle, in terms of what the district and city needs to work towards to have a better school district and better the city and moving that forward," said Turman.
Turman says they want their goal is to have at least 100 mentors. So far, they have 30.
“Data will tell you that when you take a positive figure and you insert that into the life of a child, that child’s academic improves, some of the behavioral issues decrease and their attendance improves," said Turman.
Some parents believe this initiative could be beneficial to some students.
“I guess the mentor needs to know what he’s doing, where he’s going, needs to be prepared to work with kids," says Rose Gonzalez, who has a daughter in the school district.
The district is asking for mentors to commit to at least five hours per month. Most of the mentorship is taking place at the school.
“data will tell you that when you take a positive figure and a mentor and you insert that into a child, that child’s academic improves, some of the behavioral issues, concerns, decrease and their attendance improves.”
some parents believe this initiative could be beneficial to some students.
“I guess the mentor needs to know what he’s doing, where he’s going, needs to be prepared to work with kids," says Rose Gonzalez, who has a daughter in the School District.
The district is asking for mentors to commit to at least five hours per month. Most of the mentorship is taking place at the school.