Celebrating Mentorship in 2022

Renowned poet Maya Angelou once said, “A leader sees greatness in other people. He nor she can be much of a leader if all she sees is herself.”

At America SCORES New York, we hope to instill the confidence to be a leader in our poet-athletes, but for our young people to truly embody leadership, they must see it in action on the fields, in the classroom, and throughout their community. They must see it in their mentors.

By definition, a mentor “provides influence, guidance, or direction to a less experienced and often younger person,” and at ASNY, a mentor can be found in any corner. For many of our poet-athletes, they see mentorship in their coaches, their teachers, our volunteers, and ASNY staff and throughout 2022, we want to bring our mentors to the forefront. But first, we must answer the question: 

What makes a mentor?

We sat down with Director of Youth Partnerships Zahkiya Brown to discuss her experience with mentorship and how it relates to America SCORES New York. 

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How did you get your start in mentoring young people?

I feel like I really stepped into a  mentor role when my little brother was first born in 1991. Becoming an older sibling gives you a lot of responsibilities and I started to feel as if I had to protect and guide my younger brother, especially after my two sisters were born.

As we grew up,  there were life skills that I was able to teach my younger siblings, and by graduating from high school and college and then starting a business, I continued that role as a mentor within my family.

Then when I became a camp counselor, a lot of the younger participants really leaned on me for support and advice and I felt it was important to lead by example for them too. 

Who was the most influential mentor in your life?

My most influential mentor was my grandmother, Ms. Paula Bailey -- she is the definition of resilience, strength, and community. Throughout her life, she has instilled core values over decades to us and to members of our community. I still carry a lot of my grandmother's ways within me and I also see her legacy and influence as a mentor throughout my entire family. 

What makes a mentor?

For me, a mentor is someone that is relatable, someone that envisions a big picture for an overall group. And they have to be reliable and show up continuously and consistently. 

I think a mentor has to realize that they are a mentor or that someone views them as such and they have to be equipped with vital tools to navigate the process of being a mentor. 

How does ASNY differ in terms of training and recruiting mentors?

When ASNY launched in 2001, we didn’t anticipate how important mentorship would be to our program, but through our coaching practices, alumni programming, and growing network, the need to put mentorship at the center of how we engage with our young people became clear. Now, our poet-athletes often consider our coaches as their mentors. I think ASNY is realizing our work is deeper and builds on mentorship --  our focus on teachers as coaches can aid in building relationships with young people and having people -- coaches, teachers, volunteers, and partners -- return year after year helps our poet-athletes build relationships with existing and potential mentors. 

You’ve experienced mentorship as a sister, an aunt, a coach, and now the director of our newest program -- Coaching for Change Academy (C4CA) How does C4CA bring mentoring to a new generation?

Coaching for Change Academy has paired youth coaches with ASNY coaches and staff to navigate what mentorship means both on and off the field.

Their role as a mentor isn’t limited to coaching on the field but extends into building relationships with our poet-athletes and we spend the year building the toolbox to do that. Through mentor/mentee check-ins, professional developments, a guest speaker series, and targeted workshops, our youth coaches are able to build and foster authentic relationships with each other, their poet-athletes, and their mentors.

What do you think the future holds in terms of mentorship for ASNY? How do you think mentorship plays into our 2030 Vision?

I think mentorship will start to shift the shape of ASNY as we progress. As poet-athletes continue to build and foster authentic relationships with coaches and ASNY staff, we are learning that we matter on a grand scale! 

Mentorship brings in more opportunities for organizations to grow and live out their mission statement. ASNY shows up consistently, which is exactly what a mentor should do. And as we continue to honor coaches, youth coaches, and poet-athletes, I think it gives space for mentorship partnerships to flourish. 

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