The Superhero In The Mirror: How Mentors Can Help Solve Our Toughest Problems

By Marlowe Smith

How often do you turn on the news, only to hear a story about another troubled youth? Do you wish that you could do something impactful that could help our youth find success? Many could use a listening ear, words of wisdom, and someone who cares. It only requires a small commitment of your time to create a lasting impact upon one person.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: Mar 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889267010

Marlowe Smith

Marlowe Smith is an energy sector professional, entrepreneur, investor, and mentor, who earned both his MBA in Management and Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Penn State University. He is passionate about civic leadership and is devoted to mentoring young people. Marlowe leads by example by being a big brother to two little brothers with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, a youth leader at his church, and as a Delran Township, NJ Councilman. In his spare time, Marlowe loves to read, discuss politics, walk through town, and playing basketball. He also enjoys cheering on his favorite sports teams.

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New Degree Press

Copyright © 2023 Marlowe Smith

All rights reserved.

The Superhero in the Mirror

How Mentors Can Help Solve Our Toughest Problems

ISBN

979-8-88926-700-3 Paperback

ISBN

979-8-88926-702-7 Hardcover

ISBN

979-8-88926-701-0 Digital Ebook

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 Stepping Up

Chapter 2 Big Brother?

Chapter 3 You Had Me at Hello

Chapter 4 Mentors Can Learn from Mentees

Chapter 5 Mentorship in the Nonprofit and Governmental Sectors

Chapter 6 My Home Team

Chapter 7 Mentee Becomes a Teacher

Chapter 8 Mentoring through Actions More than Words

Chapter 9 Mentoring in the Technology Age

Chapter 10 Overcoming Obstacles to Success

Chapter 11 A Mentor’s Recommendations to Make the World a Better Place

Chapter 12 Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Introduction

I saw the state of our world becoming more polarized and less safe. Because of this, I wanted to do something to improve the lives of young people who are the world’s future leaders by stressing the importance of mentoring.

The United States of America is a country of tremendous opportunities. At its best, citizens have the freedom and ability to become educated, develop networks to help them succeed, and become productive members of society. The implied understanding is that everyone has an equal playing field and the ability to thrive. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon, has a solid foundation, has a standard nuclear family with two parents in the home, and a stable environment. For many, concerns about the next meal, having electricity, heat, water, or enough food on the table are a reality. THE Journal indicated that students fare better educationally when their home life is stable and not constantly in flux (Kuykendall 2022).

Polls have shown the decline in American confidence in some of the more important institutions of the past fifty years. Church, synagogue, mosque, and other religious service attendance has dropped from 70 percent to approximately 50 percent from 1989 to 2019. At the same time, The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Police Athletic League, and other civic organizations have also seen their membership drop. Boy Scout and Cub Scout memberships declined by 43 percent from 2019 to 2020 (Klapper 2021). At their best, these organizations taught morals and respect for self and others at the core of their mission.

The traditionalist, baby boomer, Gen X, and millennial generations that benefited from learning these important morals and respect for their fellow man have the power to positively affect change in the lives of the young people in their respective circles. This is my impetus for writing this book. I want to inspire the millions of Americans who can listen to, learn from, and provide guidance to a whole new generation of young people.

I was born when Richard Nixon was in his second term, and a junior senator from Delaware named Joe Biden was in his first term. Now that Senator Joe Biden is president of the United States. It is quite remarkable in that nearly five decades, those two presidents, one Republican and one Democrat, would bookend my lifetime to date. I came from a generation where many families could be successful with a one-income household. Many families had a stay-at-home parent who could provide guidance to their children and look out for the latchkey kids who had two parents that worked outside the home. In cities and towns all over America, there was a greater sense of community and greater belief in our institutions.

I have learned a lot by trial and error and feel that I can share some of these important experiences that have shaped my life and the lives of others whom I have encountered along the way. For most of my life, the American experiment seemed to be thriving as more marginalized Americans were gaining more rights, and corporate entities, government agencies, and schools were trying to address historical inequities. However, the gains of the Civil Rights Era were under attack as key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act rolled back, allowing states to implement voting changes without having to get preclearance from the Federal Department of Justice (Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision in 2013). The Supreme Court’s rollback of federal protections because of the Dobbs decision in 2022 led to the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973. As I am writing this book, the Supreme Court is poised to remove race as a factor that colleges and universities can consider when making admissions evaluations in a decision expected in 2023.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I, like most Americans, had an opportunity to reflect upon the state of the world, my life, and reevaluate what was important to me when the world experienced an abrupt stoppage. As a sports fan, I found additional time on my hands as the NCAA and professional sports were shutdown. Life as we knew it changed overnight, as large gatherings, movie theaters, concert venues, and indoor activities were shut down to prevent the spread of the virus and keep vulnerable members of society safe.

During this time when schools closed, only essential stores like grocery, pharmacies, and home improvement stores were open. Many people started new hobbies and new traditions. I have never been the handiest guy in the world, but my daughter Maya and I got into home improvement projects by watching some YouTube videos. Maya has always been creative and outgoing. However, as a junior in high school, it was a tough transition as traditions like homecoming and prom were put on hold at a time when she was excited about her transition from high school to college. My wife finished her doctorate in physical therapy, started to work on her diet and exercise routine, and my son started working out and preparing to play football in high school. I had never been one to keep a journal or write down my thoughts, but I had the time to analyze How did we get here? and How do we make things better?

As I watched the news and kept up with current events, I looked at our greatest challenges as a nation. Many issues seemed to stem from the lack of good quality, high-paying jobs. Many employers and the local, state, and federal government often require a college degree for many jobs whose main functions are not required to perform the duties effectively. The extremely inflated cost of private primary or secondary education has become a barrier to entry for many people. For the past three decades, the cost of higher education has crippled new graduates with the equivalent of a mortgage-worth of student loan debt for a four-year college education.

For the decades following World War II, a college education was the great equalizer that helped many young people graduate, find a well-paying stable career that allowed them to be able to purchase a home, take vacations, and save money for retirement and their children’s education. Those who wanted another option could often find lucrative careers in the trades. However, due to budget constraints, in recent decades, high schools began trimming music and art programs, shop classes, and home economics classes, shop and auto repair classes and lower numbers of students were going into the trades—carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding. Those trades often provided a gateway to entrepreneurship and the middle or upper middle classes.

These blue-collar jobs created the middle class that provided the base for our neighborhoods. These folks became the backbone of our towns. They provided positive role models, strong family units, and the coaches we had in Little League and at community events.

A reduced amount of people are going to college and entering trades. The breakdown of trust in institutions has led to a lack of understanding about how our economy and government work, our roles and responsibilities as citizens, and steps to get the country back on track to be the best educated, best prepared, free democracy in the world.

I have always had an ardent desire to help out, volunteer, do my part, and make a positive impact in any setting I entered. COVID-19 was truly an unprecedented event, and no one knows