Author: kellyfairthementor

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj3AJ1z3OKo?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Actress Gabrielle Union recently received “Breakthrough Producer of the Year” award from CinemaCon. Prior to accepting the award, she was mistaken by her driver for another black actress, Naomie Harris (https://www.biography.com/people/naomie-harris-21032217).  Gabrielle describes that moment as solidifying her desire to create roles for women, whom producers tend to “put out to pasture” once they reach a certain age. Union discusses the power producers have in the film industry to create career opportunities and since she was awarded the opportunity, she would like to help other talented actresses that struggle with getting roles by creating jobs for them. Creating career opportunities for women goes far beyond the scope of one individual, it is a collaborative effort.

It is vital to create career opportunities for the next generation of women in all industries. Which is why girls mentoring programs such as Polished Pebbles are necessary. The mentoring program equips girls from 7-17 years old with skills that allow them to develop the confidence and ability to: communicate effectively, encourages girls to join groups, speak up in class, and seek leadership positions. Polished Pebbles continues to prepare girls for their future by creating pipelines from schools to future careers.

Here are a few tips on creating career opportunities for ourselves:

Meet new people — Don’t limit yourself when it comes to networking and building strong connections with individuals; you never know who you can work with in the future.

Don’t be afraid to ask — If you don’t know nor understand something ASK, ASK, then ASK again for clarification.

Don’t be afraid to try a different approach — If you have been doing the same routine for several years and getting the same results, maybe it’s time to try a different approach and shake things up a bit.

Build self-confidence — Self-confidence is key when it comes to creating opportunities for yourself. Knowing what you bring to the table does not give individuals room to question what you have to offer, but what can they bring to your table to enhance what is already there. You must believe in yourself first.

Keep learning — Never stop yearning for knowledge and self-discovery.  

For more tips on creating career opportunities click the link below!

https://motivationgrid.com/wait-opportunity-create-opportunities/

Kelly Fair, Founder and CEO, of Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program is out sharing our story! She founded Polished Pebbles back in 2009 and has been moving us forward ever since to support girls and communities. Hear from Kelly herself as she shares the story of Polished Pebbles:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgtCx47y9H4?ecver=1&w=560&h=315]

You’ve probably heard, and we have spoken about it here on KellyFairtheMentor.com, about the importance of mentorship. This isn’t just for youth who need guidance on future education and career aspirations. Mentorship is appropriate for people of all ages and all stages of their various careers. So, if you’ve made it through the initial stages of identifying and connecting with a mentor, the next part is actually learning from them.

And here is the tricky part. What do you actually ask your mentor? Where do you even  start to glean all that you can from their experiences and knowledge? It’s a tough question to answer. Which is why we were excited to see this list of 40 Questions to Ask A Mentor on Forbes.

They suggest asking questions in 4 categories:

Stories. Focus on experiences you can learn from, such as lessons learned and pathways to their current success. Remember, you have as much to learn from how they navigate failure and barriers as much as you do their wins.

Situations. This is where you can get specific about skills and tasks your mentor uses in their career and daily life. Perhaps you want to know how they tackled a problem at work? Or what skills they recommend for their current position?

Self-Awareness. Now this is where it can get tricky. Perhaps save these questions for a couple of meetings into your mentor relationship. These types of questions allow you to learn more about yourself: How do others perceive you? How do coworkers see you as a leader? What strengths can your mentor identify?

Skill-Building. Use this as an opportunity to build your own skills. Ask your mentor about what you can do to improve. Be candid and honest with yourself. If you know you get nervous speaking in public, perhaps your mentor can offer advice.

Remember, everyone can benefit from a mentor. Don’t be afraid to network and reach out to people you admire. And when you get the chance, be intentional with your questions.

By now, many of you might have seen the speech given by 11-year-old Naomi Wadler at the March for Our Lives Protest in Washington D.C. Her speech not only paid homage to the victims of school shootings, especially those at Parkland, but also to the unknown names of black girls.

I am here to acknowledge and represent the African American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper, whose stories don’t lead on the evening news. I represent the African American women who are victims of gun violence, who are simply statistics instead of vibrant, beautiful girls full of potential.-

–Naomi Wadler

Although only aged 11 and in 5th grade, this young woman spoke up for the lives of African-American girls around the nation whose names are not spread on headlines. She spoke with eloquence, grace, and power. Which is why we are saying, Ms. Naomi Wadler is a role-model for all ages.

If you haven’t heard her speak, be sure to watch the video below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ZUDImTIQ8&w=560&h=315]

We want to talk about hair…more specifically, the texture and style of black hair. You may have noticed in the news how some black girls are being reprimanded at their schools for wearing traditionally black hair styles. If you haven’t, then this NPR article gives a wonderful overview.

In recent years, black girls have been sent home for wearing dreads, head wraps and even wearing their hair naturally.

In schools across the country, black student suspension rates are higher than their peers’. In charter schools, kindergarten through eighth grade, those rates are even higher.

–Kayla Lattimore,When Black Hair Violates The Dress Code

We don’t believe that a girl’s hair style should interfere with her education. What is it about black hair that some schools’ dresscodes identify them as “distracting”?

Listen to Cheyenne Cochrane as she talks about the role hair texture has played in history and society in her Ted Talk: A Celebration of Natural Hair.

We all know who the true star of Black Panther is, and it isn’t T’Challa. We are talking about the sassy princess Shuri! Letitia Wright starred as Shuri in this comic book come to live and boy did she bring it.

Not only did she show black girls that they can be strong women, but also that they are smart! According to a HuffPost article:

The actress also said she hopes young girls will unlock their potential when watching Shuri, especially when it comes to STEM, where women of color made up less than 10 percent of working scientists and engineers in the U.S. in 2015.

“I hope it inspires them and I hope it does [so] positively. I hope it sparks the next person,” Wright told HuffPost.

We share the same dream, Ms. Wright! Because the data is truly saddening when you realize the potential, knowledge, determination, and vision young girls of color can bring to STEM fields.

According to Catalyst, in 2015 women made up only 24% of those employed in STEM fields. But, it doesn’t start with jobs, it starts with degrees. Between 2014 and 2015, only 2.4% STEM bachelor degrees went to black women.

We need more mentors and idols like Shuri on the big screen to push this vision forward!

We’re going to say it straight, male role models are important. Do male role models contribute something different than women role models? Do young girls need positive male role models in their lives? We don’t have the answers to those questions.

But what we do know?

We have girls in our program who have strong, positive, inspiring male role models in their lives. And we think they are important. We celebrate the role they play in their daughter’s, sister’s, niece’s, friend’s, etc. life! We want them to know that we appreciate and love how they inspire, educate, love, listen to, lead, and support those around them. And we want them to keep on doing their thing!

Which is why you should join us on Saturday, February 17 for our 7th Annual Daddy-Daughter Fun Day! This free event is a celebration of the male role models in your girls’ lives. It will be a day of friendly competition as they play different activities throughout the day! We hope to see you there.

And if you don’t have a male role model who can join you, please still come! We have wonderful men who volunteered and are standing by.

We are officially one month into the new year…hello, February 2018! This means most people are 31 days into a resolution. Do you have plans and goals that you hope to achieve in 2018? While well intentioned, most people don’t carry their resolutions throughout the year. They start to fade around February. Which is why, we want to give you 5 tips to help make your resolutions stick.

1. Don’t just set goals, plan them. When goal planning, people write down exactly what they hope to achieve. They have a clear vision of what they want. But, do they know how to get there? Make sure you have a road map to success! When you identify your goal, plan it out: resources, activities, timelines, and outcomes. Write it down and make it visible.
2. Make your goals SMART. Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Relevant. Timely. If your goal is too broad, you won’t know if you achieved it. This ties into measurable. You have to be able to compare a before and after to see where you’ve ended up after all your hard-work. Make sure they are attainable…don’t go setting yourself up for failure. Keep it relevant and timely. Know that the goal is achievable from your current situation. Deadlines keep things moving.
3. Visualize yourself succeeding. This is the fun part. Close your eyes and just visualize yourself at that finish line. What have you achieved? What has changed now that you’ve achieved this goal? How do you feel? Where do you plan to go from here? Fill yourself up with these thoughts and feelings to push you forward!
4. Surround yourself with support. Keep people around you that know your goals and want you to succeed. When you start to feel unsure or defeated, reach out to them! There is no shame in asking for help or a listening ear. And don’t forget, you need to believe in yourself!
5. Give yourself wiggle-room. Know that you will have failures, setbacks, mistakes, and hiccups. Something will happen that will either give you pause or set you back. And that is okay. It’s life. Preparing yourself for the inevitable will stop you from giving up at the first push.

There you go! 5 simple tips to keep you moving. Now go forth and achieve!

Today, we want to share a Ted Talk with you from Adam Grant. He is an organizational psychologist who wants to know who succeeds more–givers or takers.

What you see with successful giversis they recognize that it’s OK to be a receiver, too.If you run an organization, we can actually make this easier.We can make it easier for people to ask for help.

Learn what your style is and how you can use this information to better your businesses, nonprofit, social enterprise, or team!

This past weekend, the community came together to help us renovate our new office space! Over MLK weekend, University of Chicago and UChicago Engagement brought people together for our service project. With their help, we are so much closer to having a beautiful office to house and inspire Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program!

Thank you for supporting our girls!