Smiles Mentoring

Smiles Mentoring, a registered 501c3 charitable non-profit organization, is a school-based mentoring program with a specific mission to address the high school dropout rate in New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts. The organization was founded in 2003 by a partnership of local business, faith, and education community leaders as a direct response to research identifying mentoring as an effective strategy to keep at-risk students in school. The program's core service is a one-to-one mentoring initiative where adult volunteers are matched with students for one hour each week during the school year. These matches meet at the student's school, where a program facilitator leads group activities designed to build healthy relationships and support social-emotional learning. The curriculum focuses on helping students develop social skills, responsible decision-making, and planning for the future. Smiles also offers a literacy-based mentoring program to improve students' reading and literacy skills. The youth identified for the program often display characteristics such as poor school performance, poor attendance, challenging family situations, or low self-esteem. The organization works closely with the New Bedford and Fall River public school systems to identify and support these students. Smiles Mentoring seeks to empower these young people to make positive life choices that will enable them to maximize their potential and achieve academic and personal success.