What We Do

Near-Peer Mentoring

How Our Mentoring Program Works

Eye to Eye brings together middle school students who learn differently (in grades 5 through 8) with local high school and college students who also learn differently in a supervised, school-based setting where they navigate a fun and engaging weekly curriculum of projects proven to develop the most critical skills students who learn differently need to thrive in school and life. As middle school students grow social and emotional skills and gain inspiration from positive role models, high school and college students get hands-on opportunities to develop and practice leadership and professional skills.

A Snapshot of Eye to Eye's Mentoring Program

Eye to Eye's near-peer mentoring program as featured on PBS' American Graduate Day

1 Asset-Based Student Leadership

Eye to Eye’s mentoring program is the only national program run by and for students who learn differently, with a focus on leveraging the unique strengths and abilities of our students that are too often neglected and overshadowed by a singular focus on the challenges a student may have in the classroom. Our program takes an asset-based approach to leadership development and empowers high school and college students with the tools and confidence to manage and facilitate the program locally with support from a dedicated program coordinator and school staff advisor.

Learn About Our Young Leaders Organizing Institute

2 Weekly School-Based Mentoring Sessions

Once per week, mentors and mentees meet up in a supervised, small group setting on the middle school campus (typically right after school) and work together through a structured 18-week, strengths-based curriculum of projects and activities. Our curriculum is intentionally designed to foster a strong sense of community and belonging, while facilitating in-depth conversations about learning differently between mentors and mentees and developing the most critical social and emotional skills like self-esteem, self-determination and self-advocacy along the way.

Learn More About Becoming a Mentor or Mentee

3 National Campaigns & Events

In addition to completing weekly projects and activities together, students also participate throughout the year in a series of national campaigns and events alongside hundreds of other students from schools across the country, including LD Awareness Month, Strike Out Stigma Month, Advocacy Month, and more. High School and College students also have the opportunity to represent Eye to Eye and students who learn differently at various conferences and events, including the Annual Young Leaders Organizing Institute at Brown University, LD Day of Action in Washington D.C., and more.

Check Out Our Upcoming Events

4 Bringing Mentoring to Your School

Eye to Eye’s Mentoring Program is hosted locally by a growing network of school partners. Each chapter requires both a middle school partner and a high school or college partner to get started (unless you are a multi-level school with both middle and high school students). School partners are responsible for providing a dedicated staff advisor and classroom space for the weekly mentoring sessions to take place, in addition to supporting the recruitment of students and contributing towards the costs of delivering the program. Eye to Eye in turn provides all of the necessary curriculum, materials, training and ongoing support for student leaders and mentors to facilitate the program. To bring mentoring to your school, get started here.

Bring Eye to Eye to Your School