Project MALES is starting 2015 right where we left off! This year the Project MALES mentoring program is extending its partnership with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) by adding one more mentoring site. Starting in the spring semester, Project MALES will begin mentoring at Webb Middle School. In addition, our mentors and work-study students will enroll in the second part of Impacting Males through Peer Advising College Tracks (IMPACT), our service-learning course. This semester our student mentors will continue to work on mentor development as well as developing a range of topics and activities focusing on college and career pathways after high school for our mentees.
Our mentoring activities will kick-off with our Project MALES mentor retreat, which will be held on Monday January 19, 2015. This is also Martin Luther King’s birthday, which Project MALES has dedicated as a day of service to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
Additionally the Project MALES Student Organization has organized a great Plática Series for this semester that includes prominent members of the Latino community in Austin. This semester our guest speakers will be; Mark L. Madrid, President and CEO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (Wednesday February 11th), Stefan Molina, Director of Operations at Duncan G. Stroik Architect, LLC. (Wednesday March 11th), and David Contreras, Founder and Executive Director of LaunchPad The Center (Wednesday April 8th). All Pláticas are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in UTC 1.146.
Finally, this semester the Project MALES Student Organization will continue their annual participation in two community engagement events, joining the Latino Austin community in the 9th Annual Feria Para Aprender on February 21st and Explore UT on March 7th 2015, were we will be hosting our community partners Communities In Schools (CIS) and XY-Zone and their students. We are looking forward to a successful 2015. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the semester.
