Chronus helps DoSomething.org do something for passionate youth
For millions of teens across the country, DoSomething.org is not a typical non-profit; it’s an organization that makes it cool to give back. Since 1993, Do Something has taken a new approach to motivating young people to take action in their community. Instead of telling kids what they should do, they give youth the ability to empower each other. Besides many traditional cause campaigns, like donating basic school supplies to underprivileged students or stopping texting and driving, Do Something has also found many new ways to motivate social change amongst Generation Y.
One innovative way that Do Something is able to help young societal activists is through their Consulting Program. Participants for the Consulting Program are selected based on an application process where they share their aspirations for giving back. The kids with the most promising ideas and most motivational stories are then chosen to be a part of the program. Each participant in this 3-month mentoring program is paired with an employee of American Express who not only gives practical business consulting to the kids, but also serves as moral support in what could be an uphill battle to the realization of a goal. Through the guided mentoring program, the young entrepreneurs are able to make considerable progress in their cause and are able to receive otherwise expensive and unattainable consulting advice.
When asked what she thought of the program, one participant said:
“Project support experiences are few and far between. It is hard to find people who truly want to help you beyond answering one or two questions. Do Something.org is the exception. This Mentor Program has helped me for the past two years, and I loved hearing all of [my mentor]’s advice!”
As the program has expanded over the years (240 youth and consultants participated in 2011 alone) there has been an increasing need for a support software that lends itself to the long-distance connections that are built between the mentors and mentees. After this last year, the administrators decided that their current mentoring program facilitation software was not allowing them to realize the full potential of an online solution. That is where Chronus fits in. Realizing that a new solution was necessary, it was decided that Chronus Mentor was the right fit for the program. The innate features of the software allow them to seamlessly connect the participants with their consultant and create a support community. One week away from the completion of their first program using Chronus Mentor, the participants have all found the Skype integration to be the most exciting part of the software. Participant’s use of the familiar platform, Skype, has helped mitigate the negative effects that distance has on the quality of mentoring sessions.
With a little help from Chronus Mentor, the program administrators and participants at the Do Something Consulting Program have seen geographical obstacles disappear. They are now able to keep their young entrepreneurs connected with their consultant and help to create stronger bonds that will last outside of the three months within the program.
