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icouldbe.org mentors the next generation through the Internet.
icouldbe.org is an award-winning 501(c)3 non-profit that steers underserved
teens toward careers they never imagined and toward their futures - by
linking teens electronically to mentors in a wide range of careers..
It is well known that many highly successful people benefited from the
wisdom and guidance of a mentor. That guidance helped them make satisfying
career choices and become leaders in their fields. Yet, too few young
Americans benefit from such guides and thus cannot envision, and do not plan
for, their futures. This lack of support is most evident during the high
school years, when many young people begin to think seriously about a
career. Too many American high school students:
Can't Explore.
With caseloads as high as 1,000 students per counselor, guidance counselors
are too overburdened to effectively advise students on their futures. High
school students receive less than 3 hours of career counseling over 4 years.
Don't Connect.
There are over 16,000,000 American youths that need mentors and only
4,000,000 mentors.
Never Grasp.
Students know very little about various professions and unwittingly
choose the wrong career path.
icouldbe.org has devised an award-winning solution to the dilemma by
developing a web-based resource through which skilled professionals mentor,
and career planning tools point, America's underserved teens toward the
futures they want. For instance, if a high school sophomore is interested in
art, he/she can speak directly with graphic designers, high school art
teachers, architects, painters, industrial artists, web site designers and
other professional artists about their work. Also, that sophomore utilizes
various online tools to chart and develop his/her career ambitions. By using
icouldbe.org, a high school student can:
Explore career possibilities, using icouldbe.org's extensive database.
Connect with several of icouldbe.org's career mentors representing numerous professions.
Grasp and move closer to attaining the professional life s/he wants through online discussions with career mentors and utilizing icouldbe.org's career planning tools.
icouldbe.org has served over 4,000 at-risk teens in fourteen states and 80
schools with 1,500 nationally recruited e-mentors. icouldbe.org’s safe
online environment and curriculum meet the National Mentoring Partnership’s
Twelve Elements of Effective E-Mentoring, the U.S. Department of Labor’s
SCANS Competencies & Foundation Skills and the American School Counselor
Association’s Career Development Standards. E*Trade Bank, Goldman Sachs and
Tiger Woods Learning Center have partnered with icouldbe.org to serve 100s
of teens. icouldbe.org’s other partners include America’s Promise, National
Mentoring Partnership, NYC YMCA and others. Reader’s Digest, Business Week,
Computerworld Magazine and TimeOut New York are just a few of the
publications that have featured icouldbe.org. Also, icouldbe.org won the
prestigious Computerworld Award for using information technology that
produces and promotes positive social change.
MENTEES
Hundreds of youths (who we call "mentees") - from inner-city high schools
to Native American reservations to residential homes for teens in trouble
with the law - have used and/or are using the website. Our mentees are
disadvantaged and from low-income families, go to schools that lack
sufficient capital and human resources, are at-risk of dropping out of
school and/or have dropped out and are trying to find their way in life.
Despite these conditions, we've experienced great success! Click here to read about some
of our mentee success stories.
E-MENTORS
Hundreds of e-mentors - representing hundreds of career paths, from
nearly every state in the union - work with icouldbe.org's mentees.
Moreover, our e-mentors can serve more students than non-electronic mentors
because each e-mentor can work with up to five youths. Here's a partial list
of icouldbe.org's current e-mentors:
accountant, actor advertising copywriter, aid to state legislator, air
force officer, archaeologist, architect, artist, astrophysicist, author,
brand manager, business analyst, calligrapher, cardiothoracic surgeon,
carpenter, clinical social worker, coach, college professor, community
finance developer, computer engineer, congressional aide, construction
engineer, corporate banker, department of defense contractor, dancer,
director of education non-profit, doctor, education consultant, e-learning
specialist, entrepreneur, environmental consultant, executive coach, fashion
designer, fashion sales person, federal law clerk, filmmaker, financial
consultant, fiscal and policy analyst, flight attendant, flight instructor,
foreign affairs specialist, government contractor, government policy
analyst, graphic designer, health policy PhD student, high school counselor,
horticulturist, housing planner, illustrator, in-house
counsel, infectious disease specialist, interior designer, etc.
SUPPORTERS
In addition to our individual supporters, icouldbe.org would also like to
thank The Bodman & Achelis Foundations, The Dammann Fund, E*Trade Bank,
Fleet Bank, Goldman Sachs, The MCJ Foundation, NYMEX, Shiffman Foundation
and the YMCA of NYC for their generous support.
SPECIAL THANKS
To the following people who have played an invaluable role in making
icouldbe.org happen: all our e-mentors, Dan Cummins, Shawn Arsenault, Bobby,
Dave Ginsburg, Brian Lee, Sara Becton Ardrey, Larry Baum, Lauren Caputo,
Jeanna Grapes, Jeff Greenip, Kareen Mozes, Alex Roubeni, Joan Vecchiarelli,
Thomas McLaurin, Denise Santana, Tyrone Copeland, Karlene Rogers-Aberman,
Sandra Lauterbach, Ben Hansford, Ed Kim, Brent Leffew, Tara Waters, Adala
Zelman, Mike Siegel, Karen Yeo, Kim Adler, Mom & Pops Aberman, Richard Levey,
Wadiya Udell, Stephanie Sharis, Naomi Hasegawa, Teresa Shelly, JJ McCardle,
Chris Norris, Bennett Graebner, J Schwartz, Ufasaha Yarish, Matt Adler,
Karey Fung, Natalia Guarin, Angie McCambridge, Julie Rosendahl, Yair Avgar,
Daphna Shohamy, Kate Taylor, Tom Seidenstein, Kate Cohen, Peter Kamali,
Rachel Kash, John Mahoney, Alison Glaser, Lauren Ratchford, Jill Davis,
Ariel Behr, Evda Darios, Hema Nair, Tom Pendleton, Lara Homsi, Chucky Allen,
Gouri Takur, all the folks at Home Sweet Harlem & Settepani & Space
Untitled, and to anyone who would be offended in even the slightest for
being left off this list.
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