Building strong connections and a stable foundation to pursue the future of their dreams.
One of the keys to cultivating your passions in life and finding success is through building and maintaining healthy and positive relationships, though for some, good relationships are not always easy to come by. After meeting with multiple students who came from broken and unstable backgrounds and hearing their stories, Matthew Marcum was inspired to create a program where young people could have the opportunity to build strong connections and a stable foundation in order to pursue the future of their dreams.
“A lot of the kids I met with had been abandoned and broken and were just left to self-destruct,” said Matthew. “They project that they’re okay but there is a lot going on beneath the surface. The biggest challenge for them is how to create dynamic friendships in their lives.”
Four years ago, Mentoring Partners of Cincinnati was born, and through the hard work and dedication of its founder, partners and volunteers, the program has positively impacted numerous student lives and will continue to do so as it moves into its second season this September.
Creating this non-profit was no easy feat, and for the first three years of the program’s existence, Matthew was working a full time job in hospice care as a nurse and raising six children at home, all while developing the organization in his extra time. Matthew had to connect with a number of people in order to build partnerships with businesses and non-profits, meet with student referrals, vet potential mentors and match the students with the perfect mentor to help them succeed. Whether it be through newsletters, Google listings, Facebook, or intermittent media coverage, Matthew made it his mission to get the word out there and educate the greater Cincinnati area on the value of this program in order to grow the mission and influence as many young lives as possible.
When creating this program, Matthew said he designed it for busy people and wanted to keep it impactful but simple. The students meet with their mentor once a month over the course of nine months, for two to three hours, though many pairs end up spending more time together. The first four months are spent cultivating the friendship and doing fun activities in order to build trust and respect between the individuals.
The next step is to take the Birkman Test, which is a personality and job assessment that is used to help the young adults discover their greatest strengths and match them with careers that are best suited for their gifts and interests. The young adults are then able to visit companies that correspond with their results in the Birkman Test so that they can get a feel for certain career paths.
Finally, the students create relationship, spiritual, academic and career goals with their mentors so that they may continue to flourish and prepare for their future as they mature into adulthood.
“There is a lot of time, talent and treasure that goes into creating this, and that all comes from the people who are involved,” said Matthew. “We have a growing team of businesses and individuals that give financially and we are bringing in more volunteers that will help coach the mentoring relationships.”
Mentoring Partners of Cincinnati has already helped more than twenty students and is eager to aid more in the upcoming years. Matthew has many goals for the future, specifically the anticipation that as they continue to build the mission, they will be able to duplicate it in other communities and develop it into a regional program. Additionally, Matthew hopes that students who have graduated from the organization will eventually return as mentors, giving back to the non-profit and allowing the program’s good work to come full circle.
If you are interested in getting involved, there are several ways you can do so: personally investing as a business or individual, referring a student, and/or reaching out to become a student mentor. Feel free to call Matthew at 513-255-2325 or email lifeizministry@gmail.com to partake in Mentoring Partners of Cincinnati today.