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Mentoring youth in Benin

App State alumna shares mentoring program with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus in West Africa

View larger image

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at WYN in Boone, center, trains potential mentors in Benin, Africa, as part of her partnership with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus Abiona Jean Bamigbade. Photo submitted

“Positive relationships can change all behaviors and connect people to resources they need for success.”

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at WYN in Boone

By Jan Todd
Posted Feb. 20, 2020 at 12:41 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, an Appalachian State University alumna and the assistant director of mentoring at Western Youth Network (WYN) in Boone, traveled across the globe to share the recipe for a successful youth mentorship program with a community in West Africa.

Grasinger, who holds a B.S. degree and an M.A. degree in elementary education from App State, was matched as a peer collaborator with Abiona Jean Bamigbade, from the Republic of Benin, while he was attending the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute held at Appalachian in 2016.

“Positive relationships can change all behaviors and connect people to resources they need for success.”

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at WYN in Boone

Bamigbade is the founder and director for an organization that promotes education in rural communities and was paired with Grasinger to explore new ways to improve school performance among youth in his village.

They are one of several pairs who have kept in touch following a Leadership Institute and are now working together on programs to create a positive impact in African communities.

“I was able to share my passion for mentoring, and he spoke of his passion for education,” Grasinger said. Benin has a low rate of academic success, where many youth drop out of school early, she added.

Bamigbade said while he had mentored youth on his own, he had never thought about mentorship as a program. The conversation with Grasinger inspired him to develop a mentorship program in Benin after his return.

View larger image

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at WYN in Boone, far right, partnered with Abiona Jean Bamigbade, a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumnus from Benin, Africa, kneeling, to launch a mentorship program in his village. Photo submitted

The two applied for a Reciprocal Exchange Award through the Mandela Washington Fellowship. The grant allowed Grasinger to travel to Benin to help launch the mentorship program in summer 2019.

Grasinger prepared workbooks for mentors and mentees, as well as other material to help manage the initiative. While she was in Benin, the program developed 21 mentorship pairs.

Since Grasinger’s visit, Bamigbade said more adults in his community are willing to volunteer their time in working with youth, and the students have developed confidence and new studying techniques that are improving their performance at school.

Grasinger has realized benefits in her own job as well, she said. “The exchange pushed me into examining every component of our process here at WYN to discover best practices and helped me create materials for training to connect better with mentors in our program,” she said.

“Positive relationships can change all behaviors and connect people to resources they need for success,” she added.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by IREX. Appalachian is a sub-grantee of IREX and through its Office of International Education and Development has implemented U.S.-based Leadership Institutes as a part of the Fellowship since 2016. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.

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App State partners continue service work in Africa with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni
App State partners continue service work in Africa with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni
Feb. 20, 2020

Relationships fostered during Appalachian’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institutes take several locals overseas to launch new initiatives in Africa.

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App State to host 5th Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute
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Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian 2020
Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian 2020

Office of International Education and Development

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement.

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App State’s 2019 Mandela Fellows engage in servant leadership for 10th anniversary of Mandela Day
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4 Appalachian faculty and staff receive Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange Awards
4 Appalachian faculty and staff receive Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange Awards
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About the Office of International Programs

Appalachian State University combines a strong liberal arts foundation with a comprehensive, pervasive and integrated commitment to global engagement. The Office of International Programs assists App State in fulfilling its global engagement mission by working to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences — in both domestic and international contexts — in the university’s students, faculty and staff, as well as in the surrounding communities. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

“Positive relationships can change all behaviors and connect people to resources they need for success.”

Charlene Grasinger ’08 ’12, assistant director of mentoring at WYN in Boone

App State partners continue service work in Africa with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni
App State partners continue service work in Africa with Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni
Feb. 20, 2020

Relationships fostered during Appalachian’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institutes take several locals overseas to launch new initiatives in Africa.

Stories

  • Mentoring youth in Benin
  • The Nature Network in Zimbabwe
  • Dreaming for Change in Burundi
  • Ndinephupha Youth Talks in New Brighton
Learn more
App State to host 5th Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute
App State to host 5th Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute
Feb. 20, 2020

As part of the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship, Appalachian will host 25 of Africa’s emerging civic leaders — ages 25–35 — for a six-week Leadership Institute. Fellows will participate in volunteer service opportunities, meet with state and local government officials, and more.

Read the story
Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian 2020
Mandela Washington Fellowship at Appalachian 2020

Office of International Education and Development

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement.

Learn more

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
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