CDS Mentor Post Education and Career  Program is a mentoring program that targets youth in underserved -school . The goal of the program is to teach the social and emotional learning (SEL) skills required to successfully navigate the existing educational process so students will be prepared to for post education and promising careers overall.

All students will attend weekly After-school sessions lead by CDS Mentor staff using a “college ready” , Vocational and Career Awareness  curriculums that targets specific SEL skills.

 Students also are matched with a mentor with whom will  communicate electronically with students and  parents  during designated times arrange by CDS Program Manager . All Students, parents  and Mentors  are provided with training and curriculum material to assist them  in successfully completing the program. Students and parents will have access to their Mentors and Program Managers by email on a weekly basis for guidance and advice.

 Every 4 weeks, students also participate in afterschool events that mentors attend in person. These events, which usually take place at the CDS Center around 6 p.m. to accommodate mentors’ work schedules, typically include guided discussions or worksheets related to the students’ progress and development. In some case these meeting will be done off site .

Program mentors are college-educated ,vocational trained and business leaders persons who can commit to 4 years of mentoring and are recruited through corporate volunteer programs and general advertising. Each mentor must pass a background check and attend a 2-hour orientation and training on mentor expectations and the program model.

Program Managers (PMs) are paid staff hired by a CDS committee Mentor for each participating school. Some larger schools have a PM for each grade. PMs match and provide support to mentor pairs, teach the course curriculum, and coordinate program events. PMs are expected to check in with each mentor one a month  and will  send mentors weekly group emails with updates about students and CDS Mentor  activities.

PMs are supported by  CDS  Program Directors, who liaise between  CDS Mentor’s parent and students school staff. Participating schools appoint a staff member, such as a guidance counselor or teacher, to serve as the CDS Mentor point person within the school.

For more information about how to become a Mentor or a Mentee contact