Deepankar Malhan Celebrates National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring Month. To celebrate, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts (BBBSEM) is honoring Deepankar Malhan, of Chestnut Hill, one of the hundreds of volunteers for the state’s leading one-to-one youth mentoring program. The nonprofit partners with under-resourced families to provide children with caring adult mentors who help them reach their fullest potential.

Malhan is a volunteer for Mentor 2.0, BBBSEM’s technology-enriched youth mentoring program, which directly targets high school students. Mentor-mentee pairs build their relationships through weekly online communication and monthly in-person meetings (virtual during the pandemic) at several of the nonprofit’s Boston-based partner high schools.

“Students often need additional support when transitioning into high school and moving on to college or the workforce that sometimes isn’t available to them,” says Mark O’Donnell, BBBSEM President and CEO. “Accessibility is a key component to the Mentor 2.0 program. The online curriculum is built into students’ classroom work and busier adults have flexibility to communicate with mentees online, while still making an impact – a win-win.”

Launched in 2016, Mentor 2.0 is a national Big Brothers Big Sisters and iMentor program. The curriculum is designed to help students develop the knowledge, skills and mindsets for students to navigate high school, create an ambitious individual post-secondary college or career plan and successfully execute that plan. Mentors help mentees to develop those skills and share industry knowledge within their trade. Students attend weekly classes taught by a BBBSEM Mentor 2.0 Coordinator embedded in the school, which are augmented by regular assignments and communication between mentors and students through an online portal. Monthly in-person events are also held to strengthen the bond between students and their mentors.

“The Mentor 2.0 Program has been an amazing opportunity to mentor someone through all aspects of their lives. The relationship I have with my mentee is incredibly fulfilling, and it has been a pleasure to see him grow from a sophomore to a senior in high school over the past two years. I've helped him decide his major for college by giving him perspective on my job as a Senior Software Engineer (something he was curious about when I started mentoring him two years ago). And we've worked together to look through colleges, prioritize them based on his preferences, and write college applications for each college in the list. It has been incredibly easy to mentor him virtually since the start of the pandemic,since I talk to him through the iMentor platform weekly.” says Malhan.

A national survey of over 10,000 Mentor 2.0 students shows that students are better prepared to face challenges after high school, whether entering college, the Armed Forces or the workforce. Mentors will remain connected to their mentees beyond graduation to continue to provide guidance during these unique and challenging times.

As BBBSEM’s Mentor 2.0 expands into additional Boston high schools, the agency’s list of students waiting to be matched continues to grow. More volunteers are needed to step up to become mentors for the program. Anyone 18 years old or older can become a mentor as the agency welcomes youth and adults of all races, ethnicities, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, and physical abilities.

“Now more than ever, it’s important that we ensure our children are given every opportunity they need to pursue college and jobs they love and are able to earn a living wage,” says O’Donnell. “We need the public’s participation to do that. The more volunteer mentors we have, the more students we can serve.”

Are you ready to make a BIG impact in a young person’s life? For more information, to become a volunteer, or to support a virtual match by way of a donation, visit: www.emassbigs.org.

About Big Brother Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts is an innovative, energetic organization that is making a real difference in the lives of nearly 4,000 youth annually by providing them with an invested, caring adult mentor in long-term, professionally supported relationships. With research and proven outcomes at its core, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts is working to defend the potential of children facing adversity and ensure every child has the support from caring adults that they need for healthy development and success in life. The organization’s vision is to inspire, engage and transform communities in Eastern Massachusetts by helping youth achieve their full potential, contributing to healthier families, better schools, more confident futures and stronger communities. Throughout its 70 years, the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in New England has created and served more than 20,000 matches. For more information about the agency and its mission, visit www.emassbigs.org.

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