JEANINE ACHIN is the CEO and president of Warwick-based nonprofit Mentor Rhode Island, which was recognized as a 2025 Champion in Action in the category of Mental Health and Wellbeing by Citizens Financial Group Inc. The recognition includes $50,000 in unrestricted funding, volunteer support and promotional assistance, which will enable MentorRI to expand training hours for mentoring programs, with a focus on addressing youth violence and mental health issues.
What does it mean for MentorRI to receive the Champion in Action award? We are thrilled and humbled to receive this award. We are part of a strong statewide ecosphere working collaboratively to make our communities stronger by investing in and providing opportunities for the [youths], who are our future. We are thankful to Citizens for [its] recognition of our efforts and consider it a great honor because we are very aware that many organizations are also doing great work. The Champions in Action award will help us make progress toward our vision of a Rhode Island where all [youths] are connected to relationships with adults who inspire and support them.
What do you plan to do with the $50,000 gift? This generous grant will help us build our capacity to recruit, train, supervise and support our mentors. It will help us continue to provide specific training on youth mental health and connect our mentors and network of mentoring organizations to resources they can use for referrals and self-education on mental health.
What is the biggest challenge in addressing student mental health needs, and how does MentorRI plan to respond to that challenge? According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released in August from a 2023 national survey, 40% of all students, and 53% of girls, experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Nearly 1 in 5 students reported being bullied at school, while 13% missed school because of safety concerns.
MentorRI is responding to this by doing what we know works. We expand mentoring in the state so that every youth who needs a supportive adult in their life has one. We also help to set up peer-to-peer mentoring programs because often a peer will be the first one who is confided in. We know that [youths] who have mentors say that person contributed significantly to their success later in life and 58% specifically say their mentor has supported their mental health.
What initiatives, if any, does MentorRI plan to launch in the next 12 months?MentorRI is expanding our training options to provide support to corporations, agencies, organizations and schools [that] believe, as we do, that creating relationship-centered cultures is a key component to improving workplace culture, employee retention and employee satisfaction. It is also an important factor in workforce development, increasing productivity and student achievement. We have a menu of professional development sessions and consulting services we can customize to fit needs and budgets.
