Los Angeles Team Mentoring Inc A Delaware Corporation

The most generous, compassionate, caring individuals make up the incredible team which i have had the chance to work with a few times as a volunteer. They not only devote 100% of their effort to making the lives of thousands of children better, but they treat everyone who they meet with respect and kindness. I have never met a better group of people who without a doubt is making a difference all across los angeles. If more people were to take note to the work being done here and started to apply it to their communities, countless people would benefit and the future would look much brighter for all future generations to come. More attention needs to be brought to this non profit because they do the hard work that many of us do not even take the time to consider doing. Truly an incredible place with incredible people.

One of the best experiences someone could have as a person who likes to get involved in a school community. It is an honor to be able to work with young intelligent minds who look forward to each session. This particular year was very interesting in the fact that my students were moving on to highschool, I was able to observe them through different stages in the year and see wonderful growth. Students were able to socialize more with each other and build strong/reliable connections with each other. The best highlight, was having a one on one conversation with a struggling student who was able to turn things around and finish their school with straight A's! Truly an honor to work with this program and the students.

LATM is incredible! The staff make you feel so welcomed and really strive to make a difference. It's so uncommon to see an entire staff believe in the same goals, but this team does. They want to make a difference in the lives of the students they have the privilege of working with. This organization is by far one of the best I've ever had the honor of working with.

It's a real difference maker in the lives of the children. You see them learn to open up and trust the mentors as well as apply learning lessons in life. Essentially they grow before your eyes. Extremely rewarding for both the mentees and mentors.

My experience with LATM has been amazing. I have been a college mentor for the past two years and I have had a great experience with working with kids and LATM staff. This program has allowed me to give back to my community by making a difference in the lives of young students who may be struggling in school with making friends, grades, and even living in broken homes. Although I don't help the students with homework as a volunteer, I encourage them to try their best and I have had students come back to session and tell the group that they got better grades. I have also witnessed shy students become the most energetic ones and I've had students walk in with frowns and leave session with a smile on their face. Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to interact with different groups of students and gotten to know them each individually and share common interests with them which makes them look up to me in a way. One of my favorite things about volunteering with LATM has to be the summer leadership camp. I volunteered for the summer leadership camp not knowing what to expect and I loved every second of it. The camp allowed me to gain experience in teaching and bonding with the students was also a bonus. As a college student studying psychology to eventually become a child and adolescent psychologist this program has given me more than I bargained for, it has allowed me to work with kids and be an actual mentor to the students. I would definitely recommend LATM to anyone who wants to work with kids and be a mentor.

I am a teacher working at a middle school in Downtown LA that serves low-income, under-served, minority communities. LA Teamworks was an after-school program that allowed these kids the opportunity to build strong relationships with adult mentors. It was a very rewarding experience for me and for the children.

TeamWorks has been a pleasure to work for because they truly care about all of the students, mentors, and schools. My experience this year was very motivating and hearwarming. I am a Special Education teacher and many of my students signed up for the program. One of my most challenging students joined TeamWorks this year. He showed up very hyper and overly energetic at all times. This kid could run around a room and tear it up in a few minutes, but he was very caring, sensitive, and smart. He would make many different impulsive actions throughout the year. This kid truly challenged my patience and empathy. I actually saw alot of myself in the kid during my youth. We went throughout the entire school year together and this kid truly matured with his decision making and he also became more focused. This kid truly benifited from the program! On the last day of school he ran up to me crying and he said "I'm going to miss you Mr. Pugh". I almost lost it! I looked at him and said " I'll be back next year". This one interaction brought great joy to me and It solidified why I chose to work for TeamWorks.
Herman Pugh

Being a mentor for LATM was definitely a rewarding experience! I would highly recommend that anybody who has a heart to make a difference in the lives of middle-school aged kids do it! The curriculum is fun guide and provides plenty of material for the time spent with the students, but also encourages flexibility for each group. This program fosters team building skills, and personal growth, helps with providing a more positive self-image for the students. The mentors could see the difference in almost every student, from the beginning of the program, to the end. One student especially comes to mind. He was so timid at the beginning, and by the end of the program, he was smiling, laughing and even did a little dance for the group. You won't hear too many thank-you's from students throughout the program, but I saved and will keep the thank you notes I received from each student on the last day of the program. The two field trips were definitely important to boost the bond between mentors and students, so if possible, try not to miss those!

I've been doing my intern since May and it's one of the best non-profit organization. They are working so hard to find sponsorships for events. Also they are providing great supports to students.

I had a great chance to work as a manager for SHINE Event with Macy's, organized by Suzanne from LATM. I loved the way she works. Everything was well planned, arranged and scheduled. She does her work splendid. Suzanne and her team are very professional, they put heart and mind in business.
LATM has been serving the community for many years; and providing services to nearly 1300 kids every week. I was proud and happy being involved in such a good cause and would love to work again for future projects

LATM stand by their word...to enhance the lives of students through the middle school years offering team-building, character, wholesome values, and self-awareness. I have been working with LATM for over ten years and believe the program makes a positive impact in the lives of all students, but especially those who do not always have a consistent and constructive point-of-reference in the home. One example is with Mike. I met him in the seventh grade, a timid, awkward, and very intelligent African American boy. During many sessions, he would break down crying, close up like a clam shell, and participate passively during group discussion and activities. However, he attended every session and as always one of the last to leave. Then, in the eighth grade he began to evolve into one of the stronger contributes, he participated as a leader during activities. He opened up and shared more during "Good news--Bad news". I think Mike would never have become the socially adjusted and positive individual without the support and guidance of LATM. I will continue to be a part of the program and I am excited for the new year.

LA Team Mentoring is one of the best things our school has going!
It allows us teacher/mentors to try and help, to try and bridge a gap in these middle schoolers lives. We get to know them better and they start to feel comfortable with us and let us in! It is a sacred trust that we all take very seriously.
The staff at LATM is just "the best", from the intriguing activities they develop for us, the insightful questions that accompany these activities, to their heart felt concern that helps us guide and open the students eyes and hearts to each other and the rest of society in every positive way! LATM is truly gift to our school!

It is a great cause for at risk youth in Los Angeles. I've been part of the program for 5-yrs as a mentor, and have seen the kids grow their confidence, speaking in front of groups, teamwork and compassion for mentors and classmates. They developed better relationship with each other, but also adults (mentors). As part of the program they have seen local colleges, businesses and program has helped plant the seed to work hard, study, and strive to go to college and be successful.

Our company, Keenan & Associates chose this group as one of the volunteer organizations they would foster by allowing employees to volunteer in a weekly, on-site mentoring program with the time off from work compensated by the company. The LA Team Works staff was amazing. They were very knowledgeable and provided excellent training prior to the program, continuous support during the program and were always available for questions and guidance. They were extremely well organized and made the experience of mentoring very gratifying. We were provided all materials (including snacks for the youth), so that we could concentrate on our interactions with our youth. LA Team Works had an excellent curriculum and demonstrated genuine joy, enthusiasm and caring in their interactions with the mentees and mentors. The LA Team Works staff provided guidance by modeling the desired behaviors without stifling the various personalities in the groups. The youth appreciated them and the mentors. It was very exciting to see our mentees develop ease and openness with the mentors as well as each other. The most rewarding part of the program was to see when some of the youth came to the program feeling down and then became very engrossed in the activities of the day so that they soon were able to smile, laugh and become involved with their fellow mentees. The development of "team" spirit and mutual support for each other and cooperation by the youth was another aspect of the program that was exciting to see. My personal favorite was the sense of respect and fairness that they showed all members of their group as well as the other mentees in the program. I highly recommend LA Team Works to any educational facility that may want to offer their youth additional support. I also recommend them to people who would like to volunteer, but are hesitant and think they don't "have what it takes." The program for the mentors is so well constructed, that you (and your mentees) can't help but be successful.

I can't say enough wonderful things about LATM Teamworks! They are very organized and plan ahead with an orientation, YouTube tutorials, and hand outs -- they make it very easy to be a mentor so my only focus is my 6th graders. I have so many happy stories and memories from my first year at Teamworks, but I think I realized the impact I made when my kids wrote Thank you cards to myself and their other mentors -- they thanked me for my positivity, for listening, and for sharing with them, and for teaching them to be leaders. It was truly heartwarming, and I can't wait to mentor again this fall.

Through our Corporate Community Outreach I have been able to participate as a mentor at a local middle school. It's been a pleasure to participate in the program. The staff is great and the curriculum is pre-set for every session, including videos to assist you. In addition, LATM has an annual session to assist the kids in preparing for their future college and career. How many middle school kids start thinking about and preparing for their college and future career? Can't thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to give back to the community.

I been working with LATM as intern for a little over a month and I have to say they are amazing at what they do. Their primary purpose is push middle school students to their fullest potential so that they are prepared for high school and beyond. I feel LATM has created a team that loves what they do and have successfully executed many projects.

I met with a few students LATM is currently working with and they are all educated on the requiremnts needed to go from high school straight to college, which is amazing. All of the students explained that they are grateful to have an organization whose existence revolves around them and their needs. These students also knew a lot about the organization background and is definitely a supporter of LATM goals. A few explained to me that LATM has change their lives and has given them hope for their future, which was incredible to hear. I learned that LATM is focusing on getting everyone involved in directing these students and thats one of the main things I love. For example, teachers as well as families are also learning how to maintain the mentoring being provided by LATM. This is a great strategy to teach the teachers and families how to assist the students so that can have all the resources needed to be successful in life.

I believe that anyone willing to contribute to LATM; in order to fulfill out their objective/mission is helping sustain a great non profit organization.

LA Team Mentoring breaks down learning barriers for children who need it most. This program also provides college students the opportunity to exercise their teaching ability. The moment I was introduce to this program, they immediately surpassed my expectations with an organized strategy, positive motivation, and over all success. Every school should have this after school program!

LA Team Works is such a great program for students. Not only does it address real world scenarios/issues/habits but it does it in a way that engages students and it is fun. Seeing students open up and start seeing their personal growth is an amazing outcome. Especially when middle/junior high school is such a challenging time.

Volunteering with Los Angeles Team Mentoring has enabled me to gain valuable experience in communicating with middle school students. I co-mentor 5 boys who each have a different personality. Getting to know how each one of them sees the world and expresses themselves is a gradual but amazing experience. Three weeks in and they were already listening and becoming a team. Working with these young boys reminds me how I need to see things from their perspective and how intelligent they really are. They have such a realistic grasp on the world and it is an honor to see them every Wednesday as we learn and discuss new topics

I am most impressed with the teachers, who dedicate their time after a long day to help keep the students engaged.