“Perhaps by giving teens inspiration and support from mentors, we can start improving the self-esteem and self confidence of each generation of women.” -Dr. Jenny Mireles Ellis
(PRWEB) November 22, 2013
The creator of Inspire Me 2 Aspire is launching a mentor recruitment campaign to reach their goal of providing teens with a mentoring session a week by having at least 52 mentors. Dr. Jenny Mireles Ellis created IM2A™ as an online mentoring network where women and teens anywhere in the world could work with each other. Women interested in becoming mentors to teens can sign up online at Inspire Me 2 Aspire™. While Inspire Me 2 Aspire™ is always recruiting mentors, those who sign up now through January 1, 2014 will receive an IM2A™ Mentor Certificate; a personally written thank you card from Dr. Ellis; and, their own personal mentor page on our network. The first 20 women who have their mentor pages created on IM2A™ will also receive an IM2A™ Mentor notebook.
JEBE Consulting, LLC CEO Dr. Ellis began evolving a tool for female youth to easily develop mentoring relationships with inspirational women around the world in response to the alarming levels of low self-esteem in teen girls. A research study commissioned by the Dove® Self-Esteem Fund in 2008, found that 70% of teen girls believe they are not good enough in some way (e.g., looks, school performance, and relationships with friends and family). Research has shown that role models can improve teen’s self-esteem and academic motivations. With the current lack of positive, tangible role models for teen girls in mind, Dr. Ellis created Inspire Me 2 Aspire™ to provide inspirational women as role models through mentoring for teens.
Inspire Me 2 Aspire™ is based on the idea that teens can easily search online for female mentors who match their interests on the IM2A™ network. Mentors hold at least one online mentoring session a year either through a chat room hosted directly on IM2A™, Google Hangouts, or Twitter. This would allow a large number of teens to get direction, advice, and support from the people they need it in a way that traditional one-on-one mentoring cannot do. Dr. Ellis hopes that through these interactions, teens will be inspired to make changes in their lives and achieve things they only dreamed of.
"I grew up in a place where the odds were against me: the drop-out rate was high, academic success was low, and students who left home for college often returned because of culture shock. I know I could have benefited from easily finding and talking to minority women who went to the schools and careers I was interested in," says Ellis. "I hope that Inspire Me 2 Aspire™ can give all teen girls that chance to ask the important questions from the right people."
Dr. Ellis is looking for women of all backgrounds to become mentors. “It’s not only about being successful in your career. We’re looking for women who have overcome personal challenges and who have advice for teens on life lessons they’ve learned,” says Ellis. Because mentoring takes place online, mentors can live almost anywhere in the world.
IM2A™ is designed to keep mentor’s time involvement to a minimum. “We completely understand that women who have stories to share have busy lives, which is why we only require our mentors to host one 30-minute online mentoring session each year,” says Dr. Ellis. Mentors are welcome to be more involved by responding to teen members’ comments, writing blog posts for IM2A™, and/or moderating groups.
While Inspire Me 2 Aspire™ has not yet launched to the public, JEBE is conducting a usability test with approximately 50 female students at a high school in Hayward, CA. Women who become mentors can not only make an impact on these students from a disadvantaged community, but can also help shape Inspire Me 2 Aspire from the mentor’s perspective. Dr. Ellis is open to suggestions and feedback from mentors on how to make IM2A™ the best it can be.
Ellis says, "We already have a wonderful foundation of IM2A™ Mentors who have a wide variety of backgrounds and inspirational experiences. Our mentors are committed to helping teens believe they can do anything they set their minds to." She is looking to increase the current number of mentors to give future teen members variety and to offer at least one online mentoring session a week. “Perhaps by giving teens inspiration and support from mentors, we can start improving the self-esteem and self confidence of each generation of women.”
To volunteer to be an IM2A™ Mentor, visit: http://www.inspireme2aspire.com/pages/rolemodelapplication. To learn more about Inspire Me 2 Aspire, visit http://www.inspireme2aspire.com.