When Monique Dove saw a need for a youth mentorship program in her Baltimore City neighborhood, she went ahead and filled it. As a Human Services student at the Community College of Baltimore County, Dove felt the need to pay forward her successes in life, so in 2014 she founded the Equal Medium Mentorship Program.
Equal Medium provides mentoring for youth from ages 8 to 21, including tutoring in math and reading, along with personal development skills such as conflict resolution, entrepreneurship and environmentalism.
“Every child is created differently, so responses have to be tailored to their individual needs. Reactions to problems need to fit the severity of the situation—this is the mindset I have when approaching a child,“ Dove says.
“I am showing these youth ‘real life,’ preparing them for the obstacles they will face, and most importantly developing their stamina for adversity and exercising strategies that use intelligence before any other reaction.”
A heavy presence on social media combined with lots of involvement in the local community have resulted in Monique gaining a positive reputation rather quickly. Her philosophy is all about “exposing the community to the incredible talents of our youth and counteracting challenges they face in their communities.” Currently in its second year, Equal Medium has about 12 adolescents enrolled in the program and Dove is looking to grow that number in the new year.
While many would balk at the idea of going to school while running your own business, Dove feels differently. “It is really a gem to be in school and be doing this at the same time,” she says. “When I read about an issue in class and it comes up in my program the next week, it’s easy for me to figure out how to handle it.”
Equal Medium operates out of the 29th Street Community Center, located at 300 E 29th St, Thursday through Sunday. To learn more about the program, you can find Dove on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, or email her at equalmediuminc@gmail.com.
The post Baltimore Entrepreneur Gives Back to Community appeared first on MDBIZNews.
from http://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2016/01/baltimore-entrepreneur-gives-back-to-community/
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