Initiative Launches Mentoring Programs in Youngstown, Warren

WARREN, YOUNGSTOWN (WKBN) – Although Barack Obama only has a few months left in his presidency, one of his initiatives could continue on in a couple of local school districts.

Students from Youngstown and Warren took part in a ceremony Monday morning, launching “My Brother’s Keeper.” The program, started by the Obama Administration, aims to help kids prepare for college or careers after graduation.

It will bring young men of color together with community leaders and others as mentors, something organizers say kids from lower income families don’t always have the same access to.

“This helps to kind of formalize with working with groups like Big Brothers and Big Sisters and others,” Senator Sherrod Brown said. “There’s Inspiring Minds in Youngstown and Warren to connect mentors to mentees and help to change their lives, and starting as early as eighth grade.”

Brown says the effort in Youngstown and Warren are just the latest across Ohio, where “My Brother’s Keeper” programs have already been created in Cleveland, Akron, Toledo and other cities.

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