The Cleveland Chapter of 100 Black Men has combined the Mentoring, Education, and Health and Wellness Committees to form this program and connect a nature walk in some of our local public parks with a health and wellness, science, and environmental education component mentoring experience.

We learn that mentor and mentee bring unique characteristics to the mentoring relationship with deviating expectations. The mentor comes with experience that could be passed down from being mentored, etc., to pass on information to the mentee. Mentees are chosen in this context from a school, home, or community, and the expectation is to gain assistance from a caring adult. This training will present the necessary tools for mentors to assist in building this lifelong relationship with their mentee and avoid pitfalls that might damage the relationship or cause conflict for the mentee.

The mentee must know that the mentor can be trusted, and even if there is a misunderstanding, the relationship does not end. Help the mentee understand roles in the mentoring relationship and make sure that boundaries are made clear. The mentoring experience can prove beneficial for all involved and lay the blueprint for a lifelong relationship with training, futuristic thinking, empathy, and sympathy.