First Annual Michigan Forum for African Americans in Philanthropy
Mike Gallagher
Correspondent
The Michigan Forum for African Americans in Philanthropy (MFAAP) kicked off its inaugural “Summer Gathering” with the launch of the group’s exciting mentoring initiative, a presentation by one of the nation’s top philanthropic educational leaders and the presentation of the first-annual Gerald K. Smith Award.
MFAAP is an affinity group sponsored by the Council of Michigan Foundations (CMF) which is committed to creating a pipeline of new talent and energy by attracting diverse individuals to the field of philanthropy. Fifty philanthropic leaders – from foundation presidents/CEOs to communication specialists to program officers – attended the event held at Detroit’s Roberts Riverwalk Hotel.
“It was truly a tremendous gathering that inspired those who attended…and provided us an opportunity to learn from outstanding leaders in their field,” said Carol Goss, president/CEO of The Skillman Foundation.
I. Mentoring Initiative
Dr. Lynne Wooten, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Business School and a nationally recognized leader in the field of creating and building mentoring programs, led the session entitled, “Mentoring – How to Mentor and Be a Good Mentee”
“Mentoring is a strategic approach to developing an individual’s goals and skills,” Wooten explained. “It is also a flexible concept that should reflect the unique culture and objectives of your organization.”
Explaining how the new mentoring initiative works, Wooten said, “It involves collaborative negotiation and joint accountability. Equal participation in this mentoring relationship is a must for it to be successful.
“Mentors can fill one or more roles for their often-younger mentees,” she added. “They can be a career guide, an information source, a friend and an intellectual resource to collaborate on research projects or provide constructive feedback and criticism on new projects, programs or career issues and challenges.”
There are six essential qualities that a good mentor must possess, counseled Wooten. They include:
- Being committed to the role of mentoring
- Accepting the responsibility of being a beginning teacher
- Possessing the skills to provide instructional support
- Adapting effectively in different interpersonal contexts
- Modeling the skills and determination of a continuous learner
- Communicating hope and optimism
“The mentor/mentee relationship can only work if both sides develop rapport and build trust with each other,” said Wooten. “Both participants need to start out setting achievable goals together. Mentors need to let their mentees have a say in all activities; model ways to solve problems; and help them explore possibilities for success.”
“Mentees need to initially focus on the relationship, rather than the outcomes; listen with an open mind; practice learning from anyone; and eventually establish a mutually agreeable plan for mentoring sessions,” noted Wooten.
II: National Education Leader Addresses MFAAP
Dr. John H. Jackson, president/CEO of The Schott Foundation for Public Education was the keynote speaker. Prior to that role Jackson served as the NAACP’s Chief Policy Officer and the organization’s National Director of Education.
Sharing the lessons learned as an adjunct professor of Race, Gender and Public Policy at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and his stint as an appointee of President Clinton as an administration Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, Jackson gave a frank assessment of the state of education today and the need for systemic and strategic change.
“One thing is clear that we know today, there is a correlation between education attainment and a community’s economic base; between educational attainment and access to health care, civic participation and incarceration,” said Jackson. “This country leads all others when it comes to the number of its citizens incarcerated and when I became aware of that it became very important for me to see how I could begin to move forward with a passion to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education.” The issue around educational performance is not an issue of race or ethnicity, he noted.
“There is clear data that shows we are all 99.6% the same. The variance that we see in educational performance that is identifiable by race or gender is not caused by our racial or ethnic differences, but by our social policies and practices. Our challenge has always been to identify and improve them so we can provide all students an opportunity to learn,” said Jackson.
Praising the role of foundations for striving to find new ways to address the educational challenges children face today, Jackson said, “Philanthropy is a mechanism to help move that effort forward. We can’t replace state funding; we can pursue important initiatives to change the playing field to ensure educational opportunities for those who desire it.
“Unfortunately today we have across the country a 47% graduation rate from high school at a time when we know that about one-third of all jobs in the future are going to require a college education. I know there are thousands of other black males on the corners in Chicago, in Detroit, in South Carolina who, given the same opportunity as I received, can do more. This is where we all need to focus our efforts.”
Category: Feature Articles
