Mission and Vision
iMentor cultivates relationships between young people and volunteer adult mentors through an innovative combination of e-mail correspondence and in-person meetings. To-date, iMentor has matched over 10,000 mentor-mentee pairs, partnering with 30 NYC schools and after school programs in four of New York City's five boroughs and programs all over the country through iMentor Interactive.
History
iMentor was founded in 1999 by hedge-fund manager John Griffin (Blue Ridge Capital), and two civil rights attorneys, Rich Buery and Matt Klein. The program began with 49 students in one school in the South Bronx. In just over ten years of operation, iMentor has provided mentors to more than 5,000 young people from over 30 NYC schools and after school programs. Annually, iMentor serves 1,800+ young people from some of New York City's most under-served and low income communities.
iMentor was created to solve two major problems faced by young people in under-served communities:
- Lack of mentors
- Lack of technology literacy
Despite the proven effectiveness of mentoring as a youth development strategy, millions of youth nationwide who are in need of mentors do not have them. As well, schools and after school programs serving under-resourced communities struggle to develop strategies for using computers and the Internet as effective educational tools. Educators need training and support in using technology to improve the lives of their students. iMentor's innovative strategies address both problems.
Mission
iMentor's mission is to improve the lives of young people from underserved communities in New York City through innovative, technology-based approaches to youth mentoring and education.
Vision
iMentor’s vision is that one day, all youth will be connected to adult role models who motivate and guide them through high school and college graduation.
