Our Commitment to Educational Equity

To the iMentor community,

In January, iMentor was proud to kick off the new year by formalizing our long-standing commitment to educational equity in a statement of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

While diversity, equity, and inclusion have always been implicit in our work, we recognize a sense of urgency, now more than ever before, to not only publicly proclaim our commitment, but to reaffirm our resolve to advancing these values throughout our community.

iMentor exists because our country has a history of systematic racial and socio-economic inequity. For young people of color and young people who will be the first in their family to go to college, this inequity has resulted in a vast disparity in who is likely to earn a college degree and the host of positive life outcomes that come with it. This inequity is what drives our support of young people, day in and day out.

As we look ahead, we will use the ideals put forth in our statement to further guide us in this work. In addition, we have been using our public platform to advance messages of equity, reviewing our policies and practices to ensure they reflect equity, and creating more opportunities in our curriculum for mentors and students to engage in conversations about racial and educational inequity.

We have also been inspired by the New Schools Venture Fund’s Unrealized Impact Report, which encourages nonprofits to engage in more explicit and tangible efforts around DEI in the areas of student impact, leadership, staff perception, as well as organizational policies and practices. In elevating this work, we are taking steps that are integral to advancing iMentor’s overall efficacy and impact. 

We invite the members of our community—our mentors, our students, our supporters, and the schools and programs we partner with around the country—to join us in reflecting on the values that drive our work. We hope that you will find inspiration in this shared purpose.

Thank you for standing with us, and for your commitment to our students.

Warmly, 
Mike O'Brien