MARBLEHEAD — Mark Philip has set out to create a system with the goal of forging a bond between the community’s teens and pre-teens through mentorship and coaching.
Launching its pilot program exclusively in the town this month, Philip’s new child-care platform, MENTMII, is setting out to serve as a tool for high-school-aged students to connect with younger students and serve as mentors and coaches in fields such as sports, STEM, arts, and music.
“We think of MENTMII as better than child care, it’s almost child care plus,” Philip, a Marblehead resident, said. “It’s not just child care, its skill share, and we’re pairing up these kids together to learn from one another.”
Philip said that the idea was rooted in the effects of isolation on young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He saw how it affected his 10-year-old son, who struggled with having to live fully online and the ability to meet with his friends taken away. At the time, Philip’s career in advertising allowed him to see the detriments of social media and how it can have a negative impact on young people specifically.
“I kind of knew at that moment I really wanted to do something that would benefit not only my son, but his friend group going forward,” he said.
While pondering the idea, Philip and his son went to a friend’s birthday party. The family hosting had asked some high-school student-athletes to come play football with the kids, which sparked the interest of Philip, who then thought of how to market the idea to a larger scale.
Now, parents will soon be able to connect their grade-school-aged children with teenage mentors for in-person, one-on-one coaching and mentoring sessions for a variety of subjects. Parents can book sessions with high-school mentors through MENTMII by registering on the site. Those looking to become mentors can also register on the site.
Philip said that children will always be paired up with mentors from their community.
Not only does the program benefit grade-school-aged children learning skills from older teenagers, but it also provides the mentors with valuable experience that can help them as they take their next steps.
“Having the idea of a mentor on their CV, resume, or application for college, it gives them a leg up too,” Philip said. “It allows them to tap in and teach the kids the skills that they know. They get to learn by doing as well and giving back and having fun while they do it.”
The site is tentatively expected to go live on June 15 for both parents and mentors in town. Philip said MENTMII is also actively registering mentors to the site.
For Philip, MENTMII is another example of a positive result coming from the difficulty of the pandemic, and is hoping that his new program can have big impacts on children and their mentors.
“Our goal is to foster local connections and build those strong community bonds here in Marblehead and then scaling it out,” Philip said. “Hopefully with a great community like Marblehead behind it, we can do something really special.”
