The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is committed to improving the achievement of all students.  In 1994, the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Achievement of African-American Students made a recommendation that the school district sponsor a mentoring program to provide assistance and support to these students.  In 1995, Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) was launched in response to that recommendation.  While BRMA was founded to address a specific need at the time, the program remains the flagship mentoring program and has since evolved and now welcomes and supports students of all backgrounds as they progress through the district.

The Blue Ribbon program relies on the relationships between mentor-advocates and scholars as the foundation for building on scholars’ strengths and addressing their academic, social, and enrichment needs.  BRMA scholars benefit from mentoring, advocacy, enrichment opportunities, leadership development, and career and college scholarships.  Mentor-advocates encourage a scholar’s strengths and interests, and the program provides support that will help develop those strengths to their full potential.