JANUARY 2023
Program Highlights
XtraMath
Our mentor staff introduced XtraMath this month to help students build fluency and confidence in math. During the first ten minutes of each session, students build on their math knowledge through a software platform that adapts questions based on each student's accuracy as they advance through the exercise. We recognize that middle school is a critical time for students to stay on track in math, as their level of competency at this age will likely impact their skills and understanding throughout their academic and professional careers.
Upcoming Monthly Themes
Monthly curriculum themes are designed to help align activities to learning objectives for mentees.
Jan: New Year, New You
Feb: Self-Love
March: Moving Forward
Introducing Seairra Smith
Seairra Smith joined the team last month as a program manager overseeing YEMBA’s middle school platform. She is recruiting Adult Mentors, enhancing the curriculum, and developing new ideas for the Exploration workshops.
“I was interested in YEMBA because I have always been interested in helping the younger generation be as successful as they can be. My younger brother was in the program and I saw how much he enjoyed it—that was an extra motivation for me,” Seairra said.
Before coming to YEMBA, Seairra worked as a mentor, tutor and team leader for “City Year Chicago,” an AmeriCorps program, and as a program manager at “iMentor,” where she helped Chicago Military Academy students with their college applications and career preparation. Seairra has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida A&M University.
“Young Black and Brown students at Oak Park River Forest High School need to know that they matter. YEMBA invests in their growth. I’m excited about the programs we have planned for our students this year,” Seairra said.
YEMBA Receives $6,000 Grant from Community Foundation
YEMBA has received a $6,000 Youth Engagement Scholarship (YES) grant from the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation. The funds will be used for our six-week Summer Empowerment Program (SEP), which is designed to support graduating middle school youth transitioning to ninth grade at Oak Park River Forest High School. This summer will be the program’s second year. We expect to serve 28 youth through a series of four-hour workshops focusing on academic success and career preparation.
“The SEP offers students extra support during a critical stage and contributes to their ability to stay on track academically and to graduate and move on to college or careers. We appreciate the Community Foundation’s support of this important new initiative,” said Edward Redd, YEMBA executive director.
Out and About in the Community
YEMBA staff attended the semi-annual meeting of the Community Mental Health Board’s (CMHB) consortium on January 10. The meeting at the Oak Park Public Library included 35 representatives of local social service agencies. Participants shared how they are serving the mental health needs of our community and learned more about the CMHB’s Health Connection Hub, a program that connects community members to a database of local resources providing quality care and services.