Midtown Director Micheil Pruni Shares the Case for Starting Mentorship Young
Midtown-Metro Achievement Centers is proud to recognize Micheil Pruni, Director of Midtown Achievement Center, for his recently published article with Military Mentors, The Case for Starting Mentorship Young.
Written as part of Micheil’s participation in the Military Mentors eMMissary program, the article explores an idea that has long been central to Midtown-Metro's approach to youth development: meaningful mentorship is not created through a single conversation or piece of advice. It develops over time through consistency, trust, guidance, and opportunities for young people to learn and grow.
As Micheil explains:
“You can't just jump-start a mentorship relationship with a kid who doesn't have a history of good mentorship. That's why it's important to start mentorship at a young age, so a child is more receptive to mentorship and inclined to seek mentors as they get older.”
In the article, Micheil draws from his experience leading Midtown Achievement Center and working with boys and families in Chicago. He makes the case that introducing young people to healthy mentoring relationships early can help them not only make better decisions as they grow, but also learn what good mentorship looks like—preparing them to seek out trusted mentors throughout their lives. That idea is central to the article itself, which describes Midtown's working hypothesis that boys who experience healthy mentorship early can become better equipped to recognize, build, and sustain strong mentoring relationships later in life.
Micheil's perspective reflects Midtown-Metro's longstanding belief in the transformative power of personal mentorship and the importance of caring adults who accompany young people as they develop character, confidence, sound judgment, and independence.
We are proud of Micheil for sharing his experience and contributing to the broader conversation about the role mentorship can play in helping young people thrive.