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HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region today celebrated the success of "Beyond School Walls," a unique mentoring program for Harrisburg students. The organizations teamed up in the spring, allowing twelve middle school students the opportunity to participate in one-on-one mentoring in a professional environment.
Capital BlueCross is the first company in Central Pennsylvania to participate in Beyond School Walls. The research-based mentoring model is designed to create a trusting relationship between young adults and professionals, inspiring the students to see a future beyond high school. The program has been so successful at Capital BlueCross, it is being expanded to allow more students to participate.
The participating students began the program as 8th graders at Marshall Math Science Academy. They have since graduated and are attending either Harrisburg's Sci-Tech or Dauphin County Vo-Tech. They have been working with their "bigs" at Capital BlueCross to learn professional and life skills. They have also attended workshops on effective communication, healthy relationships, goal setting and teamwork.
"Beyond School Walls has been a wonderful opportunity, not only for the students, but also our employees who volunteered to be part of this unique program. The mentoring relationships they have built with the students has been a positive, rewarding experience," said Gary D. St. Hilaire, President and CEO, Capital BlueCross. "We are thankful for our partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region and we look forward to inviting even more students to Capital BlueCross."
During the celebration, mentors and mentees shared their collaborative work, including vision boards of future career interests and anti-bullying public service announcements that they worked on together.
"Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region strives to develop meaningful relationships that change lives. In 2017, we implemented "Beyond School Walls" with twelve Capital BlueCross employees giving the gift of their time and knowledge to twelve students from the Harrisburg School District," said Maddie Young, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region. "We are thrilled that Capital BlueCross continues to partner with us, paving the way for brand new one-to-one mentoring relationships in 2018."
Each Capital BlueCross employee who volunteered as a mentor was interviewed by the agency and matched with their mentees based on compatibility. The students were chosen to take part in "Beyond School Walls" after showing a commitment to academics, as well as demonstrating responsibility around behavioral expectations.