Student group starts mentorship program at local high school

The Men of Color Leadership Conference enthralled Aaron Barnes when he was a high school student. When he came to IU, he knew he had to become involved.

Barnes, a freshman, is treasurer of the Men of Color Leadership Institute, which launched in fall 2008 as a branch-off of the conference. The group’s mission is to better the community and to increase retention and graduation among men of color.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get us started,” Barnes said.

The group started a mentor program in March at Bloomington New Tech High School as a community service project. The group of mentors visits the high school each Friday to meet with students who have been recommended by their teachers for the mentorship program. Some of the mentors have two students, while others have only one.

“We make it cool to go to college, make it cool to be polite, make it cool to dress nice,” said Dion Northern, president of the Institute.

The group spends time with students during the week when it is convenient for them. The mentors eat lunch with students, play football or just spend time helping with homework and talking.

After lunch, all the mentors meet with the students in a group to discuss goals and upcoming events.

Northern said many of the students told him they want a big brother, a tutor or an older friend. Some also want to learn what it’s like to be an IU student. He said one mentor took his student to the Herman B Wells Library so the two could study in a different environment.

Freshman Alian-Christian Niyikiza, second vice president, said sometimes giving the study material a more modern perspective or just teaching it as a peer rather than as someone who is older can help the students learn.

“We want the kids to open up and find themselves,” Northern said.

Northern works with the high school staff to plan mentor events and projects. He has planned a tie workshop for the students and will teach them how to tie a necktie and what is appropriate to wear to a job interview. He also gives advice to the members of the group on how to establish a relationship with the students.

Northern said once there is a relationship, the kids usually open up.

The students are currently working on a collage project where they take pictures with a disposable camera and write a paper to tell their mentors about themselves.

Barnes said he wants to set a good example because there are so many examples of what a man is not supposed to do but not enough of what he should do. He said he wants to make a difference in the students’ decision-making process so they ask themselves what their mentor would do if he were there.

But students aren’t the only ones who benefit from the mentor’s example.

“The mentors benefit too,” Northern said, “because they have to have model behavior all the time.”