Jackie Thrasivoulos
Jul 21, 2021
Boston nonprofit accelerates mentorship/workforce development with a new website and Advisory Board.
Boston, MA – July 21, 2021 — The Community Mentoring Team, expanding economic opportunities for young Black Bostonians, today announced its new website and Advisory Board. Founded in 2018 by Bill Moran, long-time community educator and activist in Boston, the Community Mentoring Team is rooted in faith and a passion for giving back. The program supports workforce development in the specialty trades that pave the way to good-paying careers and financial security for young people of color in Boston. The site also serves as a recruitment tool for Mentors who provide guidance and support to Mentees and Mentees working to earn their union licensing in a specialty trade.
Empowering Careers that Close the Wealth Gap
The household median net worth for White Bostonians is $247,500, while Black Bostonians have a median net worth of $8, according to the 2015 study The Color of Wealth in Boston*. “Hard to believe that here we are in 2021, and those numbers have not changed,” said Moran. “Black Bostonians are consistently shut out from Boston’s development and economic opportunities. In 2018, fifteen of my brothers of faith decided to affect the kind of change that allows us to give back to the community in which we were raised by enabling economic advancement for young Black men and women in Greater Boston -- and the Community Mentoring Team (CMT) was born.
“Not everyone is cut out for or has the means to earn a college degree,” continued Moran, “but that shouldn’t exclude them from careers that provide financial security and create a self-sustaining community, and CMT is helping young people achieve those goals.” CMT programs are rooted in a continuum of career mentorship, tools, resources, and support through ongoing direct contact and engagement between Mentors and Mentees. CMT supports these relationships with various services such as career exploration, industry test preparation, soft skills, wellness classes, and financial assistance for industry preparation classes, exam fees, course books, occupational tools, and supplies.
Partnerships for Success
Comprised of Boston-area community and business leaders, the newly appointed CMT Advisory Board represents a broad spectrum of professions and backgrounds in helping CMT realize its mission. The Advisory Board includes:
Katherine Craven, Chair of State Board of Education
Linda Dorcena Forry, Former MA State Senator
AJ Gerritson, Senior Partner at Zozimus
Pastor A John Heath, International Ministries
Kathleen MacNeil, Principal at Millennium Partners Boston
Margaret Daniels Tyler, Tri-sector Advisor/Board Director
“Our partnership with CMT aims to significantly increase the number of Black and Brown men and women among our ranks and to ensure their success,” said Louis Antonellis, business manager/financial secretary of Boston IBEW, Local 103. Partnerships with forward-thinking organizations such as the IBEW, Good Shepherd Church of God in Christ, Millennium Partners Boston, and Suffolk Construction are integral to CMT’s success. For example, Suffolk Construction employs CMT apprentices on major construction projects in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. The IBEW Local 103 will be graduating its first CMT class of union-trained electricians in 2023.
“We are continually looking to expand our partnerships with other construction trades that want to diversify their workforce,” noted Moran, “as well as with businesses that want to be agents of change for economic equity in Boston. Our website will be instrumental in educating the public on CMT.”
*“The Color of Wealth in Boston,” by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Duke University, and the New School, ©2015.
About Community Mentoring Team
Founded in 2018, the Community Mentoring Team (CMT) is a workforce development and mentorship nonprofit program for Boston’s Black community. Through strategic and innovative partnerships with developers, contractors, labor unions, government officials, and community leaders, CMT provides career development, opportunities, tools, and construction linkages that fuel economic equity. Visit Community Mentoring Team. Follow Us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn..
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Media Contact
Jackie Thrasivoulos
CMT Public Relations
508-380-6408