Finding Success Through Civic Engagement

When I founded Coaching4Change, I was focused on providing schools with college students to help mentor younger students. As the program has evolved, we have consistently sought the most talented and engaged group of diverse college students to be part of our community. They have worked tirelessly to serve as mentors, tutors, and support systems to elementary, middle, and high school students. What’s in it for them? While originally I would have said college credit and money, it really goes much deeper than that. 

Civic engagement has improved college student success rates. The thread between helping their communities and self-improvement is undeniable. I never really stopped to think about how our work impacts the college students...it was always more about the results for the younger kids. The impact C4C has on elementary, middle, and high school students is important, but it doesn’t end there. College students, who are the vital changemakers in our organization, are also seeing a profoundly positive impact from being part of our family. 

Through formal surveys and informal conversations, we learned that mentoring younger students not only inspires college students, but it even helps them achieve great success themselves. Our college students receive 50 hours of coaching and training; work in small cohorts of 10 with like minded peers; mentor for 130 hours; and earn a stipend or academic credit. 

Although our intent was to create an amazing experience for middle school students, we realized that our impact has been more than just that. In fact, most of our college students stay with C4C for 1.5 years and have an 85% college retention rate. 50% of our college students identify as people of color. These black and brown students are succeeding in college at rates far greater than most black and brown students in the country. Their opportunity to mentor and serve as leaders has made a difference in their own success. I’m proud that C4C has played a role in helping to make these mentorships possible and demonstrated to all students that success isn’t about what you look like. As we grow as an organization and expand our impact, C4C will continue to look for innovative and authentic ways to improve the learning experiences of our students...both young and old.