The local NAACP and school district are partnering to help support students of color.
This mentor partnership — officially referred to as the Gateway to a Connected Community — will have a virtual meet and greet for students at Central Middle School on Thursday.
According to Pastor Johnnie Edwards, president of the Columbus/Bartholomew County Area Chapter of the NAACP, the mentorship is geared to the Black, Brown and Biracial community and has a two-fold purpose: building a relationship between families and the school district and connecting kids with mentors.
Edwards said that mentors will be able to help students in a variety of ways such as providing guidance, serving as role models, mediating with the school district if necessary, aiding students with their educational needs and supporting them at extracurricular events. There is no cost to parents or kids, he added.
The Gateway to a Connected Community is a partnership between the local NAACP and the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.
Multicultural diversity coordinator Kimberly Easton said that she prefers to refer to this offering as a “partnership or mentorship” rather than a program.
“We’re working with the community to have a longstanding, relational approach,” she said.
“The May 6 event is an opportunity for us to introduce the mentor individuals that will be working with the program to the kids at Central, Black and Brown and Biracial students, just to help them understand that we’re a group that’s coming together to advocate for them and help their parents build a relationship with the Bartholomew County school district,” Edwards said.
He said that during the meeting, students will meet mentors, learn about how the mentor partnership will benefit them and communicate their own needs and goals.
Students have to get a parent permission slip signed in order to participate in the mentorship, he said, and there will likely be another meet and greet for parents, hopefully before the end of the school year. He also said that students and mentors will hopefully be able to meet in person soon.
Edwards said that while they’re currently focusing on Central, they look to establish the same mentor partnership at other schools in the district. He added that they also hope to create “a model that grows within our district and without.”
Edwards said that parents will also have a chance to learn more about the mentor partnership and sign up during the Juneteenth Ethnic Expo event.
“We’ll have a booth there to allow for parents to get more information,” he said. “Of course, school will be out by then, but it’ll provide some guidance on what the program’s going to look like. So for their kids about to go into middle school or going into high school, they’ll know that they’ll have a form of help working with or just an opportunity for their children to become acclimated to those middle schools and feel comfortable. So that mentoring program will provide a lot of advocacy for the children in their new schools.”
Edwards said that he’s excited about the Gateway to a Connected Community and how it will help families connect with the school district.
“Our teachers are overwhelmed right now in the school district,” he said. “They can’t always communicate with every child in their classroom. So this is where the NAACP is kind of helping and providing access to teachers and at the same time, giving administrators and teachers access to parents, all while helping the kids.”
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To obtain a permission slip for the mentor partnership, reach out to BCSC or the NAACP to get one either via email or in-person pickup at school.
Families can contact the local NAACP chapter by calling 812-376-3001 or emailing naacp.barth3071@gmail.com
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