United Way's BE A MIDDLE SCHOOL MENTOR

Launched in 2009, United Way’s Be A Middle School Mentor (BAMSM) is one of the largest mentoring initiatives in Allegheny County. BAMSM targets the critical middle school years as transition years in which 40-60% of students begin to lose interest in education. Mentoring is proven to producing positive outcomes for youth in areas of Attendance, Behavior and Course Completion (the ABCs of success). BAMSM mentors meet with their mentees for 45 minutes to one hour per week between October and May at their school. Each mentoring match explores careers and future aspirations, prepares for high school transtion, discuss the importance of regular daily attendance, and develops a plan to achieve academic success.