De Blasio Administration Exceeds NYC Youth Mentoring Initiative Goals Announced Two Years Ago

January 28, 2019

City agencies, mentoring nonprofits, public schools, and the business community engaged over 15,000 New Yorkers as volunteer mentors to nearly 56,000 high school students

NEW YORK — In celebration of National Mentoring Month, the de Blasio administration announced today that it has more than doubled the number of mentee experiences and increased the number of volunteer mentors by nearly 60 percent. Last year, over 56,000 New York City high school students had a mentorship experience thanks to over 15,000 volunteer mentors in programs associated with the NYC Youth Mentoring Initiative.

“Two years ago, our City’s public and private sector joined forces to invest in our City’s future,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Together, we’ve opened doors of opportunity to more young people through quality mentoring, supporting and encouraging the leadership of thousands of students. I want to thank every mentor who shares their time and life experience with a young person to support their success.”

“The 15,000 New Yorkers who answered the call to serve as volunteer mentors is evidence of a powerful swell of civic engagement,” said NYC Chief Service Officer Patricia Eng. “NYC Service is so proud to be part of this movement and I want to give special thanks to our city, nonprofit, and business partners for coming together to show more young people their voices, dreams, and futures matter.”

“Great mentors empower our students and provide invaluable knowledge and connections that can last a lifetime,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “I thank NYC Service and our public, private, non-for-profit, and cultural partners for helping our students achieve their dreams and succeed in college and careers. This work is essential to our vision of Equity and Excellence for every New York City public-school student.”

Launched in January 2017, the NYC Youth Mentoring Initiative, a collaborative effort between schools, City agencies, mentoring nonprofits, and the business community, aimed to double the number of high school students engaged in mentorship experiences (from 20,000 to 40,000) and increase the number of volunteer mentors by 55 percent (from 9,000 to 14,000).

“We are truly grateful to Mayor de Blasio and our partners across the City for recognizing the importance of this national movement, and for inspiring role models to become mentors and help extend ladders of opportunity to our next generation of New Yorkers,” said Department of Youth & Community Development Commissioner Bill Chong. “In our DYCD Mentoring Program alone, more than 600 mentees and 100 mentors took part in programs this past year stressing leadership skills, college and career planning, and promoting positive self-images. Whether helping mentees study for a test, learn a new skill, or lift them up after a setback, mentors provide our youth with the strength and resilience to move forward and set their sights even higher.”

“Year after year, we witness how mentoring significantly improve the lives of NYC youth,” said Jon May, Trustee and Interim Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC - the nation’s first and NYC’s largest youth mentoring organization. “When children have positive, reliable role models, they have the tools they need to ignite their full potential. The success of our mentoring initiatives would not be possible without the dedication of our volunteer mentors. Our Bigs play an integral role in helping young people lead healthy, successful lives – and they gain just as much out of match relationships by learning more about themselves and seeing the impact first-hand of inspiring positive change.”

“When you invest your time in mentoring youth in your community, you're investing in the future,” said Max Polaner, Executive Director of iMentor NYC. “At iMentor, we’re grateful for the 3,600 mentors who work with as many students across 15 of NYC’s public schools and higher education institutions each year. These volunteers provide invaluable guidance, support and empowerment to young people in their career and education path. We are thrilled to once again partner with NYC Service in recognizing these individuals through National Mentoring Month and celebrate volunteerism across our city.”

“We see mentoring as a win-win,” said Joseph Peri, President and CEO of Junior Achievement of New York. “Our volunteers tell us that the rewards they get back from interacting with the students – in the classroom and in the workplace- far exceed what they give in exchange. The students involved benefit in myriad ways – from learning from and being inspired by people who reflect the amazing diversity we have in this city, to practicing the skills needed to succeed and gain a sense of personal agency as they become adults. Providing meaningful mentorship for young people in NYC is a hugely important effort to ensure that we as a community always pay it forward to the next generation.”

“Through our programs, STOKED youth build healthy relationships with adults who are not teachers or parents, but mentors, who provide guidance in navigating hard choices through high school, the college application process, and laying groundwork for a career path, all while learning a new sport!” said Antonia Smith, Managing Director of STOKED. “Volunteer mentors report tremendous satisfaction in spending time with young people who benefit from their knowledge, time, and expertise. Our programs wouldn't exist without volunteers. They are essential to the success of youth and our programs.”

As a first step in tackling the initiative’s goals, NYC Service launched the Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign two years ago in partnership with New York City businesses committed to champion mentorship for high school students, as well as overall employee volunteer engagement. This year, thirty-six businesses engaged nearly 7,300 employees as volunteer mentors and nearly 52,000 employees in volunteer engagement overall.

“Deutsche Bank and its employees are committed to helping underserved young people develop their skills and aspirations as they navigate critical transition points in their education,” said Alessandra DiGiusto, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Americas at Deutsche Bank. “We are pleased to join NYC Service and fellow corporate partners throughout the city in the shared goal of positioning students for personal and professional success.”

“We are excited to once again be a part of the Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign,” said Herb Engert, New York City Office Managing Partner of Ernst & Young LLP (EY). “EY is proud to continue our support of engaging more organizations to help strengthen our communities through active participation and volunteerism.”

“Mizuho Americas is proud to be a part of this smart, effective initiative that leverages the experience and compassion of adults to improve the academic and aspirational outlook for teenagers here in New York,” said Lesley Palmer, Managing Director and Head of Community Relations for Mizuho Americas. “Our employee volunteers say it is one of the most rewarding and worthwhile efforts in which they participate.”

“We make the greatest positive difference by applying our skills and expertise to our philanthropic and volunteer efforts,” said Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Moody's. “We truly believe that knowledge fuels opportunity which is why a core focus of Moody’s global CSR approach is helping young people reach their potential. Through our ongoing partnerships with the Girls Inc. G3 Moody’s Data Analytics Program and the Hetrick-Martin Institute’s Queer Coders program, we’ve developed mentorship initiatives that help young people unlock their potential with a focus on technology.”

“It is our responsibility as an organization and as individuals to mentor, inspire and unite the youth in our community,” said Anna Isaacson, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility for the NFL. “The National Football League is honored to support Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign and looks forward to continuing this important work.”

“SL Green is a proud partner in the Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign to promote high school mentorship and volunteering engagement,” said Marc Holliday, Chief Executive Officer of SL Green. “As New York City's largest commercial landlord, we are excited to share our knowledge and management expertise to inspire the City's future workforce.”

“One year after partnering with the Good for Me. Good for my City. campaign we have nearly doubled the number of employees who participated in mentorship and volunteer opportunities throughout our community, “said Karen Kelso, Senior Director of Corporate Programs & Initiatives at Sony Corporation of America.  “We are proud to continue our partnership with the City and its Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign this year.”

“At UBS, we're driving change that matters and unlocking opportunity for first generation students in New York City and across the U.S. by reducing barriers to college success," said Jamie Sears, Head of Community Affairs & Corporate Responsibility, Americas at UBS. “We're excited to once again partner with the Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign and engage employees in mentorship to help students prepare for college and beyond.” 

“Making an impact is at the core of our company values,” said Sara Link, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Verizon Media. “In an effort to drive positive change we offer our employees the time and opportunities to volunteer in their communities. Verizon Media is proud to join the Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign to do our part to build a better New York City.”

A full list of 2018 Good for Me. Good for My City. campaign partners can be found below.

2018 Good for Me. Good for My City. Campaign Partners

About NYC Service
NYC Service, a division of the Office of the Mayor, promotes volunteerism, engages New Yorkers in service, builds volunteer capacity, and mobilizes the power of volunteers and national service members to impact New York City's greatest needs. Its vision is to inspire and empower New Yorkers to serve each other through New York City’s nonprofits, businesses, and city agencies. To learn more about NYC Service and connect to mentoring and other volunteer opportunities across the five boroughs, visit nyc.gov/service.