As the Tennessee affiliate of The National Mentoring Partnership, the TEAM UP Youth Mentoring Partnership and the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation are leading the implementation of MENTOR’s “In Real Life” digital and social campaign for National Mentoring Month (NMM) in January 2016 for Memphis and Shelby County. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell have all signed proclamations declaring January as National Mentoring Month in Tennessee and Shelby County, respectively.
Concurrently with NMM, MENTOR is launching a longer-term public awareness and recruitment campaign called In Real Life, focusing on the real life benefits of mentoring to young people, as well as real life benefits to mentors themselves.
During NMM, the NBA, as part of its five-year commitment to support My Brother’s Keeper, will partner with MENTOR. In 2014, the NBA joined with the National Basketball Players Association and the National Basketball Retired Players Association to announce a five-year commitment to support President Obama’s call to action around My Brother’s Keeper. As part of this commitment, the NBA Family has partnered with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to support their new IN REAL LIFE campaign designed to recruit 25,000 new mentors, slated to launch in January 2016 during National Mentoring Month.
Through that context, the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation and TEAM UP will host several events throughout January, marking their commitment to mentoring Memphis’ youth.
Jan. 10: Mentor Night at FedExForum
Jan. 21: TEAM UP Youth Mentoring Partnership Breakfast
- Annual networking breakfast for members of the TEAM UP Youth Mentoring Partnership in Legends Lounge at FedExForum (open only to those invited).
Jan. 27-29: National Mentoring Summit
- Several representatives of the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation will travel to Washington, DC for MENTOR’s annual National Mentoring Summit, which will gather nearly 1,000 people representing mentoring across the United States to discuss the theme of “Connection / Growth / Opportunity.”
January 10 – 16: Real Life Impact On Mentors
January 14: I Am A Mentor Day
January 17 – 23: The Mentoring Effect In Real Life
January 17: International Mentoring Day
January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
January 21: Thank Your Mentor Day
January 24 – 31: Mentor In Real Life
About National Mentoring Month
Created in 2002 by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and the Harvard School of Public Health, National Mentoring Month in January focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure positive outcomes for our young people.