iMentor FAO Schwartz Fellow

OVERVIEW

iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college and career, and achieve their ambitions.

ABOUT

For 25 years, iMentor has matched more than 40,000 students with mentors and established a track record of significantly improved college outcomes and life opportunities for students. This includes students in New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, and students reached in 13 other communities across the country through our Partner Programs franchise model.

In New York City, more than 3,000 local students are matched with mentors who support them via a hybrid in-person and virtual multi-year model to achieve their highest post-secondary aspirations. iMentor is increasing the number of first-generation students who go to college, graduate with a degree, and are prepared to successfully enter the 21st century workforce.

iMentor’s recently launched a 3-year strategic framework (2023-2026) focuses on program growth, organizational impact, and sustainability; by 2026, we aim to serve 10,000 young people through (1) scaling our core direct service program and (2) launching a partnership model to reach youth through higher education institutions and colleges.

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

The Fellow will support iMentor's 11th and 12th grade mentorship programming, focusing on post-secondary support for their direct service work, and strengthen their community volunteer strategy for their special project work.

DIRECT SERVICE

The Fellow’s direct service work will involve supporting iMentor’s 11th and 12th grade mentorship programming on location at three of our partner high schools in New York City, with a focus on post-secondary support. In this way, the Fellow will effectively serve as a near-peer resource as mentees navigate their academic environment and post-secondary options.

PROJECT WORK

The Fellow will strengthen iMentor NYC’s mentor community strategy to ensure iMentor’s community of 1,000+ volunteers have the community-connected resources and infrastructures needed to be successful in their role. Over two years, the Fellow will engage with and evaluate iMentor’s current mentor community offerings and areas for growth; and play a key role in ensuring iMentor has the insights, analysis, and recommendations needed to develop, implement, and evaluate an enhanced mentor community experience for the New York City mentors in our program.

IMPACT

• iMentor NYC students outperform peers at similar schools in terms of post-secondary enrollment, persistence, and graduation:
• College Enrollment: 81% of iMentor students from the class of 2022 enrolled in college compared to 61% of students in NYC peer schools.
• College Persistence: 72% of iMentor students from the class of 2021 students persisted into year two of college compared to 49% of students in NYC peer schools.
• College Completion: iMentor students are 30% more likely to complete college within six years than peers nationwide.

The Fellow Will

• Provide weekly individual support to approximately 35-40 mentees (at any given time) with college and financial aid application tasks and encourage mentee participation in all facets of mentorship programming during and outside of the iMentor class
• Conduct weekly/quarterly outreach to mentees and families to increase program participation
• Participate in monthly advising and partnership meetings with iMentor and school-based staff to discuss student progress in post-secondary advising tasks such as college application, financial aid applications and college matriculation
• Collect and utilize data analysis that effectively helps iMentor staff track pair participation and relationship growth and provide targeted pair support (including coaching and communication strategies)

In Year 1 the Fellow Will

• Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to identify gaps and challenges in current mentor community support.
• Analyze data to generate insights and recommendations for improvement across a mentor’s journey in the high school program.
• Collaborate with program and partner school staff to ensure enhanced mentor community content and resources.
• Begin to develop a Mentor Community Playbook that includes best practices, recommended structures, and templates that take into consideration mentor community needs.

In Year 2 the Fellow Will

• Develop and deliver new, thoughtfully-structured mentor community-building resources over the course of two program years across all of iMentor’s high school programs.
• Work with iMentor program and mentor engagement staff to roll out an enhanced Mentor Community experience across 12 partner high school communities, ensuring proper implementation and adherence to program standards.
• Collect feedback from mentors to iteratively improve content and resources, in order to facilitate the evaluation of impact on mentor engagement, mentee outcomes, and overall program success.

Typical Work Schedule

• In a typical week, the Fellow will be in school three days, in the office one day, and work remotely one day. The Fellow is expected to be willing and able to work 3-5 evenings monthly.