In Philadelphia mentoring is a need. More than 53% of Philadelphia youth live in a single parent household,more than half of our youth start life already facing a disadvantage. More than half of Philly youth has one less support system. Mary Brooks, an apprentice from We Love Philly, and part of We Love Philly programming since 2019 grew up being raised by her mother.
Mary’s Story: The Power of a Mentor
“Carlos Aponte (founder of We Love Philly) has exposed me to a different way of living and fundamentals that I needed. Something my mother didn’t have time for. Her primary focus was survival,” explained Brooks. Mentoring has taught her how to navigate through life and how to become a better person.
Mary needed someone who would push her to be in uncomfortable situations in order for her to grow, which was exactly what her mentor Carlos Aponte did. Carlos has seen firsthand how mentoring has helped Philadelphia. He now runs a mentoring program for all the youth that step foot into We Love Philly. Carlos has also mentored over 200 kids in the last decade. He believes that building one on one relationships and giving young people access to lean on adults for support is what makes mentoring so successful. Aponte says he witnessed Mary’s growth firsthand, “Mary has grown in a lot of ways, one way is self confidence. She leads with her story and helps other people with it.”
Mentoring provides youth the help, the other perspective, and most importantly the support. According to Mentoring.org, when youth are being mentored they are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 75% are more likely to volunteer, and 90% are interested in becoming a mentor. Mentoring is an opportunity to give back and help the lives of others who might need it.
In a city where too many young people are forced to grow up too fast. Mentoring helps change that. Stories like Mary’s show that when youth are given consistent support, they don’t just survive, they thrive. Every young person deserves someone who believes in them, invests in them, and helps them see what’s possible.