Page 6 - Mentoring Programs News Today

Familiar with the city of newark, some of the struggles that its gone through? >> i would say two things. one, that civil servants, we often devalue them, make them faceless bureaucrats. youre going to see people on the front line who have sacrificed a tremendous amount trying to make a difference. we often overlook that. and on the other side, on the community side, on the streets and the schools, mentoring programs, again, community activists are also often devalued and made fun of and i think...

To do to get to where i needed to be. >> lets look at some statistics here. when it comes to people in foster care, 500,000 in the system in 2006. 20,000 of them age out of the system every year. we covered one particular story not too long ago. only 54% achieve a high school diploma. 2% get a bachelors degree or higher. 25% have been homeless at some point. quinton, how did the mentoring programs that you are involved in battle those statistics? >> i think it helps a lot when adults and parents...

Hit me? where they at? >> dont you think somebody should be held accountable for dereons death? >> no, not accountable for the whole thing because it was a mistake. aint nobody even wanted him to die. nobody meant for him to die. we just -- it was a fight. fights get took out of hand. not intentionally. just because. >> so it is fascinating to go and talk to those young people. what we see on a cell phone video, how it is totally a different perspective from them being there. give you an update....

Long? >> for five months, until mid june. we end the campaign in new york city. >> reporter: but before the big apple finish, he says he will match contributions to local mentoring programs with up to $350,000 of his own money. >> i didnt see it as giving away money. i saw it as investing in our kids. and the term has always been used, be the example that you want to see in other people. i wanted to be an example by showing and not telling. hugs only, hugs only. >> reporter: at each stop he is g...

Make sure that our kids are ready for school. were going to make sure they have the best opportunities to learn in mentoring programs, afterschool programs and showing them this is a community that cares and this is a unified place so again, im not as concerned with what 45 is doing. im more so concerned with us progressing as a community and that work i can assure you will get done. >> wes, quick question. why do you refer to the president as 45? he is the 45th president but is that intentional...