A mentor can change the course of a child’s life in profound ways. On tonight’s Smart Talk, we’ll focus on several community mentoring programs that steer children on a path to good health and success. It’s part of WITF’s Real Life Real Issues series. Our guests include Maddie Young, CEO of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, and Kevin Gibson, mentor with Hope in Handball.

By day, Kevin is an asset manager of the state House Republicans’ IT program. A few years ago, he teamed up with David Botero, a local marketing and ad executive, and put their competitive spirit and concern for kids into action. “Not only did we share a love for the sport, but we also shared a desire to raise its awareness and get more people, especially youth, involved in the game,” Kevin recalls.  “In 2008, Dave started playing indoor 4-wall handball, and soon got me into it. That sparked a new idea in Dave's mind. We talked about how during the winter, the kids, even the ones who play handball, would be idle, so we can introduce them to the indoor 4-wall game. This way, handball, a perfect alternative to the negative lifestyles that they face, can be utilized all year round as a vehicle for character building.”

Hallett talks about mentoring at-risk kids:



What are some things you have to do to gain someone's trust?:


How do you rate success?