WELCOME TO THE ENLIGHTENED MENTOR PROJECT
The Enlightened Mentor Project (aka “TEM) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that empowers Black teenagers and young adults through mentoring and academic achievement. We rely heavily on donations from individuals and like-hearted organizations to enable the life-changing programs and services we offer. Please click the ‘Donate Now’ button to provide your generous donation today, and by doing so, help us empower a young man’s life!
Our Mission
The Enlightened Mentor Project serves to empower Black male youths ages 12-23 (a.k.a. “Champions”) to overcome the environmental and societal risk factors that limit their potential, and help them achieve academic success, develop critical life skills, and pursue appropriate education, career, and life development. We empower them to pursue extraordinary outcomes and realize their dreams thru the provision of educational, career, athletic, and life resources that are otherwise unavailable to them.
Our mentees (aka “Champions”) are Black youth and young adults ages 12 – 23 living in the greater LA area. They are generally subjected to suboptimal conditions such as violence, drug use, gang activity, low income/poverty, broken homes, foster care, and other socio-economic risk factors—all of which influence them to fall short of their potential. Our goal is to change the narratives our Champions hear, and instead, provide them with encouragement and enlightenment that empower them to maximize their full potential.
Our Audience
OUR APPROACH
To achieve our mission, we deliver a thoughtful and deliberate blend of mentorship, academic empowerment, and life skills development that prepare our Champions to take control of their life, pursue excellence, and realize extraordinary life outcomes.
One of the greatest values of MENTORS is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and help them navigate a course to their destination.
LIFE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
We provide our Champions with a unique combination of life skills training and sports storytelling designed to help them find their purpose, improve access to opportunity and education, and instill the confidence they need to achieve greatness. Our life skills workshops are typically delivered cohort-style and intended to promote brotherhood among our Champions.
ACADEMIC & COLLEGE PREPARATION
We provide academic tutoring services for our Champions aimed at improving their overall academic capability and performance. Additionally, we provide college preparation services—including SAT/ACT prep and college tours—designed to help our Champions select, enroll, and attend the best possible colleges and universities.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS
We provide 1-on-1 and group mentoring designed to provide our Champions with the guidance, direction, wisdom, knowledge, and skills they need to matriculate into strong and responsible manhood.
Our programming is designed to help our Champions: (1) Establish & maintain overall health & well-being; (2) Achieve superior academic performance and establish a path to college; (3) Achieve gainful employment; (4) Establish the ability to live & thrive independently; and (5) Establish and maintain healthy relationships.
"Quote of the Week"
Meaningful progress and personal growth require courage and decisive action. If we want to improve our lives—whether in our careers, relationships, or personal development—we must be willing to take bold steps, embrace risks, and push past our fears or doubts. Playing it safe and staying within our comfort zones often leads to stagnation, while boldness opens doors to new opportunities, learning experiences, and transformative change. Essentially, this quote is a call to action, reminding us that improvement doesn’t come from hesitation but from daring to take charge of our futures.
Program Spotlight
BLACK COLLEGE EXPO 2025
On February 1, 2025 we attended the Black College Expo at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. We took 13 college-ready Champions prepared with their HS transcripts, personal essays, letters of recommendations, and brag sheets. Our Champion met with admissions counselors from the variety of the participating HBCU's to share their academic portfolios and convey their worthiness for college. As a result, our Champions collected 21 on-the-spot acceptances and several more conditional acceptances. Two of our Champions received acceptances with full-ride scholarships! It was a great day for our Champions in their quest to goto college--only made possible by our partners at NCRF!
EMPLOYMENT WORKSHOPS
In December 2024, TEM launched an employment workshop for Champions to teach skills related to getting a job such as interviewing skills, resume writing, and interview etiquette. This hands-on interactive workshop gave our Champions the chance to practice critical skills such as interview preparation, firm handshakes, making eye contact, and speaking up. Since this workshop a number of our Champions have applied for jobs and have used the skills they learned.
Ready to Join Our Team?
If you would like to receive Mentorship, please click the ‘I Want to be Mentored’ button to fill out our CHAMPION Interest Form.
If you would like to be a MENTOR on our team, please click the ‘I Want to be a MENTOR’ button to fill out our MENTOR Interest Form.
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