Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement: “Illuminated Pathway ”

Photo credits to the photographer Group picture of National Cares Mentoring Movement affiliates.

13 years strong, Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement continues to help the young people of Detroit. 

“The overarching goal is to help young people become better people,” executive director Michael Steinback said.

Photo via Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement Website

Executive Director, Michael Steinback, poses in front of Detroit Cares poster.

Mission

Their mission is to ensure, specifically, black and brown children to have mentors. Also, to recruit, train and export mentors.

However, the need for mentors is greater than the supply.

“Whatever they need to become what they can be we try to not give it to them but illuminate a path so they can get to it themselves,” Steinback said.

Goals For The Future

They’re looking to recruit and train 200 mentors and change the trajectory to children who are in the greatest needs.

They hope to specifically recruit more black men to help create a better connection with young black boys.

“We have a lot of focus on men and boys because there is a great deal of need there,” Sharon Madison, Chair and Board of Directors, said.

To make things more comfortable, they want to try a group mentoring model. 

One on One mentoring can be intimidating at times and they want to help alleviate the intimidation. This also shows more support for and from everyone in the group.

“We believe this is the way to go in order to be able to recruit more people and to have more consistency in the people that are recruited,” Madison said.

Photo via Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement Website

Chair and Board of Directors, Sharon Madison poses.

They hope to spread their services to 2,000 people and to collab with 20 organizations. 

Background

Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement is one of 58 affiliates of the National Cares Mentoring Movement.

National Cares Mentoring Movement was created by Susan Taylor, ex-editor and chief of Essence.

Susan Taylor was concerned about the young people after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Susan Taylor has made it her life’s mission to help young people. She started with Essence Cares before she expanded all across the country with the National Cares Mentoring Movement.

Photo credits to the photographer

Marcel Smith(far left), Michael Steinback, Sharon Madison, philanthropist and Gala honoree Robert Smith, Vivian Pickard national CARES Board and former president of the GM Foundation, Susan L. Taylor, William Pickard( far right) businessman and philanthropist attended the National CARES GALA 2020 in New York.

Programs

Detroit Cares has two programs, The Rising and Students teaching about relationships and success (S.T.A.R.S), that operates at 3 different schools in Detroit.

Both programs utilize school staff and teacher assistants and mentors.

The Rising was brought to Detroit to help pregnant and parenting teens through school and life challenges. There are pillars that derived from the New Way Forward.

On the other hand, S.T.A.R.S. is peer mentoring that mentors 11th-12th graders while they mentor other younger children.

“This is pay it forward in real-time,” Steinback said.

This program was initially from Friends First 20 years ago. Detroit Cares National Mentoring Movement had got involved with them at the National Mentoring Summit years later.

Photo credits to the photographer

Michael Steinback, Executive Director Of Detroit Cares Mentoring Movement, and Elycia Cook, CEO Friends First (CO), pose with 2020 UPrepHigh Peer Mentors.

Not all affiliates have programs, but they do contribute to recruiting and training mentors.

How to Join

Detroit Cares is always open to recruiting and training mentors to help enforce its mission.

For more information check out their website to learn how you can help illuminate someone’s path.