LIFTING ONE ANOTHER UP THROUGH CROSS-AGE MENTORING

Once we find our purpose and unlock our potential, it serves us personally and the rest of our community. Our second-year "Elevater" students are experiencing this as leaders for the next generation of Indy urban youth.

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WHAT ARE "ELEVATERS?"

"Elevaters" refers to our second-year Elevate students. After becoming familiar with key character qualities and life skills in their Intro to Elevate course, these students dig deeper by focusing on building leadership skills. Through this accredited course, students develop skills such as:

• Communication
• Decision-making
• Mentorship

Finally, they put these critical skills into practice and experience the impact they can have on those around them with our Little Elevate program.

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Through Little Elevate, we proudly partner with Indiana Public School to engage in vital cross-age mentorship. Working with 3rd and 4th grade students, our high schoolers serve the younger generation through literacy and life skills mentoring. Our Elevaters curriculum aligns with the science of reading, which became a state-mandated part of public school curriculums at the start of the school year.

In the face of Indiana's current literacy crisis, young Hoosiers must have the tools and support to overcome the current obstacles keeping them from success. With the help of positive, healthy role models, elementary-age students develop these critical skills and build deep, meaningful relationships in the process.

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‍Sound familiar?

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Little Elevate is known as the "secret sauce" of the Elevate model, because it can truly change the trajectory of both a high school student and an elementary school student. 

As mentors, these Elevate teens become agents of positive social change. Since developing meaningful, long-term relationships with their Teacher-Mentors, they have seen firsthand the power of a positive role model in one's life. Now, they have the opportunity to offer the same holistic support to the next generation.

As for our Little Elevate students, they not only develop crucial literacy skills, but they also find strong, confident role models to look up to. Our elementary-age and high school students often come from similar urban environments, and it is possible that our Little Elevate students have experienced, or will experience, similar obstacles to that of our high schoolers. By seeing the older students serving as confident, compassionate role models for their young counterparts, these elementary students see what's possible once they get to high school. 

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Through these relationships, our Elevaters encourage their younger counterparts to continue on a path of positive growth and development. 

This is what we call a win-win. It's also why cross-age mentoring is such a vital piece of the Elevate model. Thank you so much to our partners in Indianapolis Public Schools for joining us in our effort to lift up the leaders of tomorrow.

To find out more about how our Elevate curriculum is helping students serve our partner schools, learn more about our accredited classes here.

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