"Mentoring programs such as this benefit everyone." WHO CAN GET INVOLVED? "The goal is to get business and government behind mentoring," Grocholski adds. "We hope to expose those students to some possibilities they might not otherwise have the opportunity to explore." "The program hopes to target, to some extent, at-risk students whose parents might not be able to take them into a workplace," Ed Grocholski, a spokesperson for Junior Achievement, told Education World. "The employers who participate in Groundhog Job Shadow Day will no doubt see the value and rewards this investment in kids can bring." "Adult mentors who make a commitment to children can have a profound and lasting effect on their lives," adds Hoye. Groundhog Job Shadow Day provides a wonderful opportunity for students to see how academics are applied in the workplace, and to be inspired and motivated by successful adults." JD Hoye, Director of the National School-to-Work Office, said, "Research shows that the most effective lessons are those that connect the classroom with the real world. As a way to begin addressing that challenge, the partners in Groundhog Job Shadow Day are asking that employers, employees, schools and community leaders volunteer to be involved in this effort. General Powell first challenged communities to take an active role in education during the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in April, 1997. It can be the beginning of many long-term mentoring relationships between adults from all walks of life and children who lack regular contact with a caring adult in their lives," he said. "It's going to take more than one day to make the difference for many of our nation's children, but this is a great way to get started. Here is their opportunity to step forward and make those promises real," said General Powell. "Corporate America say they want to help educate and mentor our youth. The program is modeled after the Groundhog Job Shadow Days conducted by the Boston Private Industry Council in 1996 and Bell South in 1997. The first Groundhog Job Shadow day was spearheaded by a coalition that included America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth Junior Achievement the Association for Career and Technical Education the Society for Human Resource Management the U.S. That job shadowing experience inspired Malissa to be a better student, and for Beverly it served as affirmation of her value as an employee and a mentor. "I didn't know her job consisted of all that math," stated the 13 year-old middle school student, "I'm going to try harder in math now." For example: Malissa Yeglie of Louisiana never liked math until Beverly Loud, a Bell South employee, showed her how she uses it everyday to calculate customer bills. It may even provide inspiration that can change a student's life forever.
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