"Ohio Valley Goodwill Celebrates National Mentoring Month Through its Community Outreach Efforts!"

January is National Mentoring Month and Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Youth Services program is well aware of the importance of mentoring in the lives of young adults just entering the workforce. In Cincinnati, Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries workplace mentoring program connects young adults from public schools with experienced and trained mentors to provide ongoing support, advice and career guidance.

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Youth Services program partners with the Bridging the Gap program, a collaboration of the Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, to provide mentoring services to students. The Goodwill’s goal is to provide young adults with supportive, on-the-job mentors, who play a key role in helping them with their goals, aspirations and career choices, as well as any challenges they may face in achieving those goals. “Workplace mentorship and coaching is a triple win,” says Maria VanderWerker, workforce development specialist for Ohio Valley Goodwill. “Mentees gain trusted job coaches, mentors learn more about their organization and networks, and employers gain more engaged employees.” Ohio Valley Goodwill’s Youth Services program knows the importance of having professionals in mentoring roles. It recruits and trains mentors to help students see down the road and navigate potential pitfalls successfully, or avoid them altogether. Goodwill’s Youth Services program is always looking for more mentors and opportunities for the young adults they serve. Ways that you can help include becoming a work place mentor or a business partner. “¢You can make a difference. Share your workplace experiences- success and struggles, as a work place mentor. We need to expose our youth to new experiences in a variety of work environments. “¢Become a business partner. Offer your place of business for job shadowing or supervised training. Contribute to the growth of our local economy; consider hiring a young adult from our program. For more information about Goodwill’s Youth Services program, please contact Maria VanderWerker, Coordinator, at (513)771-4800, ext. 6231 or email: mvanderwerker@cincigoodwill.org. Ohio Valley Goodwill is committed to strengthening our workforce through its Youth Mentoring and community collaboration efforts.