The Wisdom Institute Joins with Mentor Michigan To Renew its Pledge to Single and Parenting Teens Through its Ongoing Listening Partners Project 2007

Detroit, MI – The Wisdom Institute (WI) in conjunction with Mentor Michigan; a project founded by Michigan Governor, Jennifer M. Granholm, announced today that it is looking for adult members of the community to become mentors. Conversely, if you are a teenage mother, a single parent or are pregnant, then Listening Partners can help. Listening Partners is now in its 3rd year and continues to benefit both young single mothers and successful women.

Are you a teenage mother or single parent between the ages of 12 and 25? Do you wish you had someone who would listen to you? Well, Listening Partners can help. Listening Partners is a unique mentoring program where successful women who were teenage mothers commit to teen moms and pregnant teens for one year. Listening Partners consistently recruits and trains mentors and mentees throughout the year. Mentors are trained by the regional office of Women In Community Service (WICS). Through its ongoing program, Listening Partners continues to build a supportive network consisting of teenagers who are neither pregnant nor are mothers, college students, and representatives from business, schools, health professions, youth, civic, community and faith-based organizations and community programs.

As a mentor, you will be required to complete an application; attend the WI mentor orientation and training; maintain good attendance at sessions; participate in activities facilitated by the WI once a month; communicate with your mentee at least once a week; and participate in a year-end evaluation program. At a minimum, mentors and mentees are expected to meet at least 8 hours per month for a year, where you will learn youth development, the art of listening, and mentoring skills. Listening Partners are coach mentors who are trained to really listen and to make a difference in the lives of young women. This is one project that really cares about our young mothers and teenagers, especially if you are pregnant or are a single parent. It brings the art of listening to impressionable and at-risk teenagers. It gives them a reason for hope and tells them that someone will always be there, but most of all it makes the experience fun! What better way to give back to the community and to strengthen the core base of our future – our youths? Listening Partners allows both its mentors and mentees to have fun together and create memories that will last a lifetime.

The Wisdom Institute was formed in 1999 at the Lewis College of Business (LCB) in Detroit. It was formed as a community service project of a LCB student organization called “Sister To Sister”, and was formalized through a partnership with the Children’s Center of Michigan Teenage Parent Project (TAPP). In 2002, the WI continued under the auspices of G. Bailey Winston Enterprise, the Founder - Gwendolyn Winston’s consulting business. The Wisdom Institute for Teenage Mothers has attracted nearly 100 teens and young adult women from public and private schools, youth programs, colleges, churches and through word of mouth. It continues to provide ongoing programs based on the foundation of its mission: “to envision possibilities, invest in the human capacity of teenage parents – mind, body and spirit; to see a need, marshal resources and mobilize support through collaborative networks”.

Listening Partners is supported with contributions from the Michigan Women’s Foundation and Charter One Bank. For more information and to find out the specific requirements for becoming a Listening Partner or enrolling the program, please call the Wisdom Institute at (313) 933-9286 or email Sophia Burris at Sophia.Burris@gmail.com