Community Mentorship Program
Mission & Vision
Based on the five key tenets of Affirming, Mentoring, Actualizing, Nurturing, and Imagining a limitless future for young Black scholars, the A.M.A.N.I. Project Community Mentorship Program provides racial identity development and academic/creative support through mentorship from Black college students to Black students attending predominantly white/minority Black elementary schools (PWES).
Through community support, young Black scholars will explore and grow in a creative and academic area of interest and build emotional skills while sharing their experiences. By participating in this program, A.M.A.N.I. Project scholars and mentors will build Amani (Swahili for peace and tranquility) in their multidimensional identities as Black students.
What we do
Through our after-school programs, we provide racial identity development and academic and creative support through mentorship to Black elementary students in predominantly white spaces. Founded in 2022 in San Diego, our program meets once a week for two hours at participating elementary schools for engaging group activities and mentor/mentee 1:1s run by our local Black college student mentors.
We are working to expand the program to the Boston/Charlestown area through the A.M.A.N.I. Reads Program, and include collaboration with Black BHCC and other local higher education students as the college-aged mentors for local elementary schoolers. Mentorship will take place at Boys and Girls Club Charlestown, and a key focus of this partnership will be to provide culturally/linguistically affirming mentorship and reading support to local Black elementary students with reading difficulties.
Quotes from our community
“ It is important for young underrepresented students to see and build relationships with older students who look just like them. I think representation is really important so that young kids can have higher goals and have a viable role model to look up to .” -Nadia (Bilingual mentor 23-24)
“As a mentor I want to give students the same space to enjoy being themselves, and unapologetically Black without having to self - edit in the eyes of others. Being black at a PWI can be isolating, and I want to be a helping hand for these kids as best I can.” - Nandi (23-24 mentor)
Opportunities to get involved
BOSTON
Mentor application:
https://tinyurl.com/AMANIreadsHarvard
BHCC Fall Administrative Internship opportunity:
Reach out to amaniprojectboston@gmail.com for more information.
SAN DIEGO
Mentor application:
https://tinyurl.com/AMANImentorExternal
SDSU Administrative & Leadership Team opportunities:
Reach out to amaniprojectsdsu@gmail.com for more information.