Here at Guitars Over Guns, our mentors are one big family. That’s why, when our Miami and Chicago teams gathered at Camillus House headquarters for our annual mentor training retreat – affectionately known as our “Family Reunion” – plenty of hugs, laughter and love (and empanadas!) accompanied the two days of learning and growth.
Presentations were delivered by Guitars Over Guns Founder & CEO Chad Bernstein, COO Jono De Leon, Chicago Regional Director Andrew De Muro and Director of Development Josh Flanders to help mentors prepare for the coming school year. From team-building exercises with a comedic musical twist, to recognizing our mentors’ many achievements, to thoughtful discussions about building effective mentoring relationships with students, our mentor crew left the retreat prepared – and excited – to hit the ground running.
We were also lucky to welcome guest speakers from Miami and Chicago institutions including Maven Leadership Collective and Teach For America, who helped our mentors delve into challenging topics and build their skills as leaders.
At the end of Day 2, our mentors parted ways with tearful goodbyes as our Chicago team prepared to head home. After another successful training retreat, we can’t wait to start the school year with renewed perspective, strength and leadership – and with “Family Reunion” memories to last a lifetime.