Mayor Tom Barrett was joined by Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver and Milwaukee Bucks representatives, along with local and national leaders from President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, to discuss the mentoring landscape in Milwaukee at a Mentoring Forum on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. The objective of the forum was to raise awareness and identify gaps in mentoring services across Milwaukee to ensure that every young person has access to a mentor. January has been declared National Mentoring Month.
Prior to the forum, the media was invited to a press conference where a mentoring initiative was announced by Mayor Barrett, MPS Superintendent Dr. Driver, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee President/CEO Amy Chionchio; Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin; former Bucks player Marques Johnson; and former Bucks player and NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier. White House Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force Broderick Johnson was also attending the press conference and event to meet with youth and leaders, applaud Milwaukee’s progress and discuss the progress of the national initiative following the President’s State of the Union Address.
Mayor Barrett, joining with a diverse group of local organizations and citizens, accepted the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge in October 2014. The MBK Community Challenge is a national call to action from President Barack Obama to improve life outcomes for all young people. As a part of meeting this challenge, President Obama and his Cabinet have made the strengthening and expansion of mentoring opportunities a national priority.
To learn more about mentoring services, visit www.mentoring.org. To learn more about Milwaukee’s My Brother’s Keeper program, visit www.city.milwaukee.gov/bma. To learn more about the national My Brother’s Keeper initiative, visit www.whitehouse.gov/MBK.
