With help from Project Mentor Bernadette Colletti, Deanna and Patrice got peers involved in 100+ service projects in a year to show how many ways there are to give back (www.helpingbythehundreds.org)!

Project Mentors support our Scholars as they learn to lead and serve through STEM. Share this PDF with friends and colleagues.

As individuals and as a group, IIT Boeing Scholars are committed to giving back and to improving the lives of others. As part of the IIT Boeing Scholars Academy’s Summer Session, Scholars collaborate in teams to develop and propose Leadership Grant Projects (LGPs) of their own design to be implemented in their home communities and schools over the course of the next 10 months (July 2012-April 2013). Through the awarding and stewardship of these Leadership Grants, the Academy helps provide Scholars with the opportunity, resources, and guidance needed to empower them to promote positive change and continue to develop as leaders.

                                                                                         

Each year, the Academy recruits a talented and dedicated cadre of Project Mentors—adult professionals who volunteer individually or in teams of 2-3 to advise a small group of IIT Boeing Scholars as they develop their Leadership Grant Project. We welcome young, mid-career, and seasoned professionals alike. At minimum, Project Mentors should have a bachelor’s degree and two years of professional work experience, ideally including project management and public speaking. Experience in mentoring or otherwise supervising high school students is a plus.

Each Project Mentor is expected to:

• Commit 10 months (July 2012-April 2013) to advising a team of Scholars as they develop and implement their Leadership Grant Project.
• Volunteer an average of 5 hours per month, typically meeting with their group in person once each month (at a program-sponsored workshop or independently at a library or café) and remaining an occasional resource between meetings (via email, phone, and/or social media).
• Help their LGP group identify objectives, create a budget and a project plan, mediate conflicts, and find outside resources.
• Serve as a positive role model for Scholars.

Throughout these interactions, Project Mentors draw upon their own experiences to foster and inspire Scholars’ continued intellectual, academic, and personal progress and growth.

Apply to become a Project Mentor! Fill out the Volunteer Application, check the appropriate box to indicate your interest in being a Project Mentor, attend an interview with program staff, and successfully complete a criminal background check. If you are selected, we will match you with a project in late July.

Contact: Connie Ma, Program Coordinator, at 312.567.3005 or yma24@iit.edu.

At the End-of-Year Banquet, members of ROOTS (Rising Over Obstacles Together through STEM) present their Leadership Grant Project, a STEM-focused afterschool program for middle school students. Credit: Dan Kasberger.