Mentors' mission is to develop the next generation of leaders through exposure that leads to college, career, and life readiness.

In 2013, while serving as a high school football coaching assistant at, Glen Burnie High School, our Founder, affectionately known as "Mayo," began informally mentoring players like Malik—a gifted athlete navigating school, life, and big dreams with limited support. As their relationship grew, Mayo came to understand that mentorship was more than guidance. It was about showing up with consistency, compassion, and conviction. He created a space where limiting beliefs were challenged, potential was nurtured, and leadership felt like family.

Article content — Malik and Mayo Journey

A year later, In 2014, fresh from earning his degree at Stevenson University, Mayo launched Mentoring Mentors—a nonprofit rooted in lived experience, resilience, and a belief in the potential of youth. What began with a handful of young men Mayo personally knew quickly evolved into a deeper mission: To disrupt cycles of community destruction and disconnection by cultivating purpose and discipline through community service.

At the time, national data reflected a troubling reality—Black males between the ages of 14 and 25 were disproportionately represented in violent crime arrests, accounting for over 50% of robbery and nearly 40% of aggravated assault arrests among African Americans. Mayo saw this not as a statistic, but his reality and a call to action.

He believed that if young Black men were given consistent mentorship, meaningful opportunities, and a reason to lead, they would protect and not destroy their communities. So he started where he had influence: with high school male athletes. In exchange for fitness training, speed and conditioning sessions, and game-day videography to support their athletic recruitment, participants committed to community service. The message was clear—your strength is for service, not survival.

Through this model, Mayo created a space where young men could challenge their beliefs, develop character, and lead with integrity both on and off the field.

In 2015, as part of its commitment to service learning, the program brought participants to volunteer at a city nonprofit – that set up weekly games of touch football between middle school students and police officers, firefighters, and community leaders to foster deeper trust. The high school volunteers would play music, lend a hand where needed, and cheer happily from the sidelines. In their third week of volunteering, however, they arrived at the field to find a group of middle schoolers with no one to play with.

Article content — Flag Football "Yard for Success"

After the death of Freddie Gray, the city was gripped by protest and unrest. First responders were called away, and the usual support systems disappeared overnight. But on a quiet field where touch football was supposed to bring youth and community together, something powerful happened.

With no officers or firefighters available, the high school volunteers from Mentoring Mentors stepped in—not just to fill the space but to hold it with care. As middle schoolers looked up at them and asked, “What do you think?” and “Why aren’t you out there with the protesters?” the older youth didn’t deflect. They responded with honesty, empathy, and thoughtfulness.

That day, community service turned into mentorship and leadership. It revealed the quiet strength already inside these young people—and it solidified the heart of what Mentoring Mentors would become. Mayo saw clearly that young people didn’t just need mentorship; they needed meaningful roles in shaping each other's growth. They needed platforms to lead, reflect, and rise.

Article content — Partnership with Woodholme Elementary School

The direction of Mentoring Mentors became clear during a year-end debrief with our high school participants. Reflecting on their experiences, they unanimously shared that the moment on the football field—stepping in for first responders and supporting younger students during a time of citywide unrest—was the most powerful and defining part of all their service.

When Mayo asked, “What do we call this?” William Fernandez, then a 10th grader, answered without hesitation: “The intergenerational near-to-peer model.” And from that moment, the identity of our work came into focus.

Article content — Windsor Hill E/M School Partnership 2018-2019

In 2016, Mentoring Mentors began shifting its outreach to younger youth, not just to serve them but to create opportunities for high school males to lead. Through a connection with Lisa Joy Greenberg at Woodholme Elementary School, MMI piloted mentoring during after-school programs, lunch periods, and even classes like gym or music with 4th graders. Around the same time, MMI formalized a partnership with Stevenson University, bringing in students majoring in human services and psychology to serve alongside our high school mentors.

As these layered relationships developed, so did the heart of our model, rooted in shared experiences, cultural connections, and youth-led leadership

Article content — Graduation photos 2018: William Fernadez (Left) and Malik Forrester (Right)

MMI proudly graduated its first cohort of male students in 2018. Each participant went on to graduate from high school within four years, and all were accepted into college. After two years of partnership with Woodholme Elementary School, MMI shifted its focus once more and began serving middle school youth, both boys and girls, recognizing the critical window to strengthen social skills, emotional awareness, self-esteem, academic confidence, and peer relationships.

It was during this time that Mentoring Mentors publicly introduced its signature model: intergenerational near-peer mentoring. Grounded in the belief that youth are uniquely equipped to guide and inspire one another, the model promotes growth through positive peer influence. Younger participants benefit from relatable role models who invest in them consistently. At the same time, older youth develop empathy, leadership, and accountability through mentorship—deepening personal growth and improving academic outcomes for both.

Where We Work and Why It Matters

Since 2018, MMI has operated in Northwest Baltimore, specifically in the communities of Windsor Hills (21217), Forest Park (21207), and Walbrook Junction (21216)—areas where more than 39% of residents live below the poverty line.

Each year, we supported an average of up to 20 mentees directly (Our core and deep work)and 80-100 indirectly ( The work you don't hear about nor do we count), many of whom attend Title I schools where state assessments report proficiency rates as low as 5% in math and 11% in English Language Arts. These numbers reflect the urgent need for academic and emotional support.

This work is deeply personal. Our Founder was once in the shoes of the very youth we now serve—reading at a first-grade level by ninth grade, with even lower math comprehension. Diagnosed with a severe learning disability by the @Kennedy Krieger Institute, he represents the kind of young person who would typically fall through the cracks in today’s educational system.

The Bigger Picture

Nationally, youth from underrepresented communities face persistent barriers to academic, social, and emotional growth. Overburdened schools, limited access to mentors, and a lack of community-based support lead to:

Low academic performance
Poor mental health
Missed opportunities
Reinforced cycles of poverty and inequity

Our Commitment

We’ve set a high academic expectation for our high school participants: a minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA. To date, our youth have not only met but exceeded that standard.

Today, we are clearer than ever about our mission and the direction ahead. For students who remain engaged in our programs for four or more years, we’re proud to report:

100% high school graduation rate
100% college acceptance rate
0% incarceration
0% lost to gun violence

But the impact stretches beyond these numbers. Our youth are building lifelong relationships, stepping into leadership roles, and accessing opportunities that shape their futures—and their communities.

This is the heart of our theory of change: when youth are consistently surrounded by culturally responsive mentorship rooted in trust, service, and belonging, they don’t just succeed—they lead.

As we move forward, our focus is on scaling this impact—expanding access, deepening our team’s capacity, and building the systems needed to bring intergenerational near-to-peer mentoring to more communities. Because when young people are seen, supported, and equipped, they create change that can’t be measured by numbers alone.

Now that you’ve heard the story—our story—the only question that remains is this:

Will you be part of making history with us? Because together, we won’t just change outcomes—we’ll change what’s possible.

Our goals are rooted in what we’ve seen firsthand and what we know to be true: when youth serve other youth, transformation happens on both sides. It builds empathy, leadership, and a sense of purpose that no curriculum alone can teach.

For the past decade, we've served intentionally—and impactfully. Now, we’re ready to scale that intention across the district, ensuring that more young people experience the power of Near-to-Peer mentoring.

Learn more at www.Mentoring-Mentors.org. Follow MMI on IG @Mentoring_Mentors

To donate: https://givebutter.com/mentoring-mentors-inc

Mentoring Mentors Giving For Impact Page

Community + Consistency + Commitment = Impact

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