Local mentoring program sparks new generation of leaders

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Eighteen years ago The Wellspring and Chase Bank partnered together to create a mentorship program for teens in Ouachita Parish. Their goal is to inspire a new generation of leaders as they work toward personal and professional development. A group of 67 local junior and senior high school students are mentored by Chase employees and get life skills for the rest of their lives.

Tiffany O’Neal with The Wellspring said this program lasts 16 sessions. The sessions are filled with topics like getting ready for college, interview skills, conflict management, and financial management. The program also lets students tour college campuses.

“It doesn’t matter what path they choose after high school. Whether it’s straight to college, going to trade school, going to the military, or even going straight to work, the skills that they learn in CLA apply to all of those, and it teaches them how to be a responsible and productive adult,” said O’Neal.

Students with CLA recently partnered with a company called, Break a Difference, where they made blankets and put bags together with toiletry items for children in foster care. They were then donated to the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Northeast Louisiana.

The program already started in October 2024 but will begin its recruiting process again in August 2024. You can talk with your local school counselor about potentially joining the program.

For more information head to The Wellsprings’ Youth Empowerment Facebook page.

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