MYMP MISSION The Maywood Youth Mentoring Program (MYMP), Inc. was organized in early 1992 and received its 501c3 status in January 1994. The organization's mission is to provide resources to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Maywood and surrounding communities, through: • recruiting volunteers to engage them in a process of addressing community problems - particularly as related to youth, • providing mentoring and tutoring services for youth; and parenting classes, • through networking with other service/education providers, provide prevention and intervention services to diminish violence through Anger Management/Conflict Resolution workshops for youth and families. MYMP HISTORY Founded by Maywood resident, Barbara D. Cole, MYM began as a “grass roots” committee of volunteers with a desire to be “part of the solution” in resolving community problems. Barbara’s past association with the local United Way, highlighted the lack of local programming for youth. Since that time MYM has conducted a wide-range of mentoring activities including “The Talks My Father/Mother Never Had With Me” operating in the local schools to sponsoring out-of-town, culturally enriching, field trips to the Memphis Civil Rights Museum, the Cincinnati Underground Railroad Museum, and a tour of Washington, D. C. including a visit to Howard University. With the help of local volunteers, State Representative Karen Yarbrough and other State of Illinois grants, the program continues to provide mentoring services to local youth. A one-year violence prevention grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, helped to focus mentoring services on Anger Management and Conflict Resolution workshops.