Note: As a way to reflect on and showcase their experiences, we ask our fellows to record themselves answering a series of questions about their fellowship, which becomes part of A Word from Our Fellows segment.

January is National Mentoring Month, which was started in 2002 by Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR, and Corporation for National and Community Service and aims to promote youth mentoring around the country. In alignment with this month of celebration, we want to share a few stories from Emma on her time with Youth Standing Strong (YSS) in Iowa during Fall 2016.

Quick Tip: Skip ahead to 0:30 to hear specifically about mentoring!

During her fellowship, she worked closely with YSS staff to transfer an existing school-based mentorship program to a community-based model. The community-based mentorship model aims to reach youth outside of the traditional school system, such as those in residential and treatment facilities.

Want to hear more from Emma? Read about her long term goals, take on mental health in Iowa, and final thoughts on her fellowship project.