Tipping the Scale 

The Tipping the Scale Mentoring/Job Skills Program originated in 1998 with 8 students as a summer work partnership between Baptist Health and The Bridge. The “Year Round” mentoring program was added in fall 2000. This program mission is to support healthy behaviors for high risk youth through mentoring relationships and to prepare them for meaningful employment through job readiness and summer employment and/or acceptance into an institution of higher learning.

The partnership with Baptist provides employees of Baptist, St. Vincent’s and Shands Hospitals to serve as mentors for teens participating in the Bridge Urban Springfield program. Through their participation in BUS, the teens are afforded a wide range of existing comprehensive services.  Students must be in the 9th grade to participate in the mentoring program and 16 years old to participate in the summer work portion of Tipping the Scale at one of the participating hospitals.

Research on the www.mentoring.org website indicates that work-place mentoring….”can increase youth’s optimism about their occupational future and lower their levels of aggression and delinquency.”

This program utilizes mentoring relationships in guiding high risk teens to establish goals which will lead to high school graduation, higher education and/or successful employment. Data shows that of the 183 students that have participated in the Baptist/Bridge mentoring program, 98.9% of the youth have graduated or are still in school. 98.9% of the graduating youth are either in college, the military or are gainfully employed.

The Bridge/ Baptist Health Tipping the Scale partnership  utilizes the same” holistic” approach to the “whole child” as other Bridge programs.  Students in the year round mentoring program not only have a role model in their mentor, they are given career exposure and program enhancements such as the “spirituality” classes conducted by the chaplain to address self-esteem and values. Students also have regular classes in public speaking conducted by communication professionals. Tipping the Scale staff visit teachers for each student to determine academic status, attendance, and goals.

The Bridge mentoring coordinator also oversees a mentoring partnership between The Bridge and Jacksonville Electric Authority for ten 8th grade students.  Students visit their mentors at the JEA office every other week and attend classes conducted by the mentoring coordinator on alternate weeks.  This partnership began in the fall of 2008.