The Office of Regional Stewardship announces E-Mentor Program Expansion

The Office of Regional Stewardship at Eastern Kentucky University is excited to announce the expansion of its E-mentoring program. The program, previously only available to students in the Knox Promise Neighborhood is now available to Perry Promise Students. This expansion means the addition of several new schools and the potential to serve an additional 300 students.

The Promise Neighborhood E-Mentoring program is a partnership between EKU’s Office of Regional Stewardship and Berea Partners for Education (BPE). The online program connects middle and high school students with college mentors to learn about college and career readiness. The students and mentors work through a nine-lesson curriculum via Eastern Kentucky University’s Blackboard site. Students interact through discussion board posts to learn about goal setting, financial literacy, college reality, career matching, skills needed in the workplace, and other related topics.

The lessons are designed to offer a personalized learning experience for students – encouraging conversation, and interaction between the student, mentor, and other classmates. The curriculum is created to build on itself more and more as students progress to higher grade levels. The mentors, mostly education majors, are trained to interact in a positive manner with the students, while providing honest, helpful information about college and careers.

Regional Stewardship Coordinator Maggie Bill says Partnerships are a key factor in the success of the E-mentor program, “We are grateful for our partnership with BPE’s Promise Neighborhood,” Bill said. “This partnership has allowed us to hire a number of EKU students as E-mentors for Knox Promise Neighborhood, and we are thrilled to have Perry Promise onboard this year and to have the opportunity to serve students in Perry County.”

The expansion to Perry Promise Neighborhood includes Perry Central High School, Buckhorn Schools, and Hazard Schools. The E-mentor program will continue to serve Knox Promise Neighborhood schools including Knox Central High School, Corbin Middle School, and Lynn Camp Schools. In total, the e-mentor program will serve approximately 600 students during the spring 2021 semester. Ten EKU students serve as the E-mentors for the program.

For more information about the E-mentor program, contact Maggie Bill, Regional Stewardship Coordinator, maggie.bill@eku.edu.

Published on March 17, 2021