MCDONALD’S USA LAUNCHES NEW MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

McDonald’s launched the Black & Positively Golden Mentor program as a way to connect mentors with up-and-comers in the fi eld. Ian Michael Brock and Erin Chapman participated in a one-on-one masterclass at @wearegolden on IGTV. Photo courtesy of McDonaldsUSA
McDonald’s launched the Black & Positively Golden Mentor program as a way to connect mentors with up-and-comers in the fi eld. Ian Michael Brock and Erin Chapman participated in a one-on-one masterclass at @wearegolden on IGTV. Photo courtesy of McDonaldsUSA

 McDonald’s USA launches new mentorship program

BY TIA CAROL JONES
     McDonald’s USA has launched the Black & Positively Golden Mentors program. The mentorship program will pair industry leaders with up-and-coming changemakers from the same field. The goal of the program is to provide access and leadership opportunities to young people and connect them with industry experts.
     Chicago native Ian Michael Brock, a 16-year old technology activist who is also the founder of Dream Hustle Code is a golden mentor. He appears on the first episode of the one-on-one masterclass, @wearegolden on IGTV. Brock mentored Erin Chapman, a 16-year old who attends Lincoln Park High School in Chicago. Chapman is an up and coming computer science star, who aspires to be an orthotic doctor who uses technology to create prosthetics.
     Brock said the series is part of their work on focusing on elevating the Black community.
     “Through this program, what it really does is provides opportunities for the next generation of leaders to get some insight from mentors, through a mentor-mentee relationship, and being able to learn what it is to be in certain fields,” he said. “It really allows, not only the mentee to get some information from the mentor, but it also allows the audience to be able and look and watch that conversation go back and forth and be able to take information.”
     Chapman said it is a very authentic conversation. She said it is just how they are. She said the conversation is very inspirational.
     “Because you can look up to someone who could be you,” she said.
     Brock, who has worked with McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden before, said he saw it as an opportunity for him to share his experiences and tips in the tech space, as well as being an entrepreneur. He said Chapman was the first person he considered when he thought about who might be ideal for dialogue and good conversation.
     “She’s doing some amazing things, not only in tech, but also in other fields and she’s so mature,” he said. “Since I’ve known her, for almost 10 years, just knowing her mindset and knowing how hard she works, and how far she’s willing to go to get what she wants to get done. I just thought she would be a great fit to be a part of this series.”
     Chapman said when Brock told her about @wearegolden masterclass and the Black & Positively Golden Mentor program, she was excited.
     “We’re both 16, we’re very young. And, other Black youth can look up to us and go, ‘I can be in the tech field, I can do this,’” she said. “Just being able to go hand-in-hand with Ian with [the] McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden mentors’ program was phenomenal.”
     Brock said the platform is a great opportunity to have a real conversation and inspire others, with a focus on personal development. He said the conversation with Chapman wasn’t just about tech, they also talked about fear and adversity that come along with success.
      “I feel like other people who are able to watch it, it gives them more of a different perspective on different ways they can get passed those different obstacles,” he said.
     Chapman said part of the conversation focused on failure and how it can be a stepping stone. She said it was something they really tried to promote with the platform.
     “I think this platform is great to show that failure doesn’t have to be the end-all-be-all,” she said. “It can be more of a lesson. Everyone fails. But everyone fails and use[s] it as a lesson to get you to the next step. It makes you grind even harder.”
      To watch the episode, go to Instagram and follow the series @wearegolden.

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