Mentoring As a Tool for Change: The RAMP Project

Submitted by Michael Cruse on Thu, 01/20/2022 - 14:53
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Welcome to our discussion of the RAMP Project, in celebration of National Mentoring Month.  RAMP, or the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program is a project of the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL).  

We're joined by Ebony Watson, RAMP's project director, and Dahlia Shaewitz, VP of Transition, Disability & Employment at IEL. 

To kick off our discussion, I want to ask Ebony and Dahlia to share some background on RAMP.  What is RAMP, how does it work, and whom does it serve? 

 

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The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) is a high-tech, career-focused mentoring program for youth with disabilities ages 12 - 17 that are involved with or at risk of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. RAMP is being implemented nationwide by state and local organizations with expertise in mentoring, youth development, juvenile justice, and disability. The RAMP model uses a combination of group, peer, and one-on-one mentoring to promote the successful transition of RAMP youth to employment, continued learning opportunities, and independent living. 

While in RAMP, through weekly career-focused meetings led by the RAMP coordinator, youth have the opportunity to assess and explore their own career interests; develop a plan and set goals for their transition; create a resource map of their community’s high-tech industries; gain workplace soft skills; build resume-writing and interviewing skills; interact with employers and experience a variety of work settings; give and receive peer support; take advantage of group and personal leadership opportunities.

Thanks Ebony!  I continue to be impressed by the success of RAMP in connecting youth to schools, families, and communities. 

There are a good number of youth programs that include mentoring. What makes RAMP different from most other youth mentoring programs is the intentional focus on youth with disabilities. RAMP builds in awareness raising--about disability, about the rights of youth with disabilities--and in this way it builds understanding and reduces stigma for the youth participating, their families, and the community providers. 

Frankly, I think RAMP should be in earlier grades so younger kids with disabilities see future possibilities for themselves. Also, with older youth and adults who would benefit from positive mentoring and role models of other people with disabilities who are successfully completing adult education, English language classes, postsecondary education and training, and work. 

I'm curious to learn what others in this Community think about elements of RAMP and how they may intersect with and potentially support adult learners, educators, and programs. 

Thanks for that background, Ebony.  We heard from two RAMP site coordinators yesterday on our synchronous conversation.  RAMP's work with the juvenile justice system and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) highlighted for me how the project's model can, and should, be used as a model for working with more adult education programs, as well. 

Thinking towards the needs of adult learners and mentoring programs and practices, I want to ask our members to share their perspectives and experience with mentoring:

  • How might adult learners benefit from mentoring? What formal or informal mentoring is happening in your program or classroom?
  • How could Adult Ed programs implement a model like the one used in RAMP? 

Hi Mike:

Thanks for these questions. On the webinar we talked about how RAMP might work as a model for older youth and young adults. The current RAMP funding focuses on 12-17 year olds, but mentoring is a great approach for a person of any age to support them in their progress toward a goal, including education and employment goals.

I wonder whether there is any formal mentoring taking place in Adult Ed programs or classrooms? If not formal, then what are some informal mentoring examples out there? 

I can imagine a mentoring approach within Adult Ed that could be peer mentoring - e.g., an older/experienced student paired with a younger/newer student to build a bridge and increase engagement and retention. Or, an employer mentoring program--connecting an AE learner to a volunteer mentor who works in an industry that is of interest to the learner. Not to get a job, just to get ideas about how the industry works and what it takes to be successful in that job.  Likewise, a mentor could be someone in college to help guide an adult learner who is considering that as a next step. 

Best, Dahlia