Aurora looking to promote mentoring programs in the city

Aurora for years has been promoting five mentoring programs in the city.

But when the city launched a renewed focus on mentoring to help curb violence and encourage young people to succeed, officials learned there are many more programs than they thought.

"We have an actual total of 50 (programs)," Mayor Richard Irvin said.

Now that it has an updated list, the city is producing an informational card that will highlight about 30 programs. The cards soon will be available to anyone who requests them.

The city also is planning to provide other resources, including a website.

"We're trying to make this as easy as possible for folks to get the services they need for their young people," Irvin said.

In the meantime, the city has organized meetings with young people throughout the community to hear their thoughts.

"Our students have strong voices and insight," Irvin said. "And at the same time, they are asking for help to navigate life."

For the first time in a decade, the city brought together program leaders and educators for a discussion about mentoring. More than 50 people attended the meeting last week.

"Educators shared their needs in schools," Irvin said. "Community program leaders shared what was working from their perspective."

The group talked about what should be done to meet the needs of the schools and the community.

"It was a healthy conversation that allowed people to come face to face with others who have the same passion and belief that mentoring matters," Irvin said.

Going forward, the group will continue to come together to network, collaborate and benchmark as part of the Aurora Mentoring Alliance. The alliance is an initiative through the mayor's office "that will allow the conversation to continue in a substantive way," Irvin said.

In addition, Irvin is hoping to encourage corporations in Aurora to provide mentoring and internship programs. There already are city staff members and police officers who volunteer their time to mentor to young people.

"This is us working together with the schools and community to be innovative in finding a solution to a problem in our city," said Irvin, adding that mentors can make a huge difference in the lives of children.