Last year I had a blog article about the student-driven mentorship program in
Los Feliz known as Lil' Me. The program, launched by a group of students led by then 11th grader Madeleine Planeix-Crocker, is now in its second year. Madeleine provided me with a report on how
the program was doing, and I thought I would
share it with our Los Feliz community.
"LILA Mentors, also known as Project LIL’ Me, is a one-on-one mentorship program now in its second
year at the Lycée
International de Los Angeles. Through this program, high school students volunteer to act as ‘big brother/sisters’ for middle school students in need
of academic and emotional support. The goals of LILA Mentors are to develop confidence and skills in middle school students, build responsibility in high school students, and support teachers’
work. In its first year, the program paired up seventeen middle school students with mentors; this year, the numbers have grown to
twenty-four.
Year Two of the program has brought new features, based upon meetings with School Principal Monsieur
Vanhille, Dean of Students Mylène Bram, and past Mentors. At the beginning of the year, I contacted all middle school homeroom teachers and visited
their classes with a presentation of the program. The teachers responded very favorably; they encouraged several of their students to
enroll. Students’ reasons for enrolling show a wonderful variety, amongst which: support in specific subjects, overall organizational help, emotional
support (self-confidence, motivation), and advice from an older classmate. Similarly, high school Mentors volunteer for many reasons, such as
interest in teaching, giving back to their school, and a desire to help others succeed. Coordination between the LILA Mentors Director, the Dean of
Students, and the Mentors
- via e-mail or direct meetings - is fluid and regular this year. This has helped sustain the program despite students’ busy schedules.
I have requested that Mentors write briefs of their progress with their LIL Me’s in the first semester. Here are a few of their comments, showing evidence that we are meeting our goals of developing confidence and skills in middle school students, and supporting teachers’ work:
“My LIL’ Me and I have worked very well together, and I have observed noticeable development on her part, especially in English.”
“Lors des rencontres du vendredi midi, mon LIL’ Me et moi avons travaillé sur l'organisation, le français et quelques notions en science. Son deuxième quarter s'est averé très bon, et il me semble qu'il continue à être motivé. ”
“I work with my LIL Me’ on her organizational skills and she seems to be improving at a constant pace. She seems to be on a great track to success!”
Though most Mentor/LIL’ Me pairings have been successful, there are occasional challenges. Two Mentors dropped out of the program because they were feeling over-extended and a few LIL’ Me’s have been reluctant to meet with their Mentors. These rare occurrences are addressed on a case-by-case basis, most often by the Mentors, as one of our goals is to build responsibility in high school students. Here is what one Mentor writes:
“I had to search for my LIL’ Me when we were supposed to meet twice; I've told him that if he needs help with anything, I would be glad to help. I am going to try harder this semester to get him to work.”
It is remarkable how seriously most Mentors take their work:
and gets the hang of it eventually.”
Overall, LILA Mentors is enjoying a wonderful Year Two. It is a pleasure to walk on campus and see older and younger students discuss what they are learning in class! The increased involvement of the Dean of Students has been invaluable in supporting our activities this year and it is clear that this involvement will be central to ensuring the sustainability of the program over time. In addition, I am seeking a Junior to take my place next year, amongst our current Mentors."
Madeleine has been with LILA since kindergarten, she is a LILA-lifer... and, as with all our grads, it is going to be hard to say goodbye this June... Princeton is lucky to get her!
