7/1/2022
Old Spice's School of Swagger: Back In Session with Malcolm Jenkins
Old Spice has always championed confidence for young people. And building confidence also involves having access to academic resources and a community of support.
(Photo Credit: Mark Stehle)
That’s where Former Philadelphia Eagle Malcolm Jenkins comes in. The three-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time Super Bowl Champion went back to class with Old Spice and Walmart to surprise students and inspire change in underserved communities through the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation.
Jenkins visited Simon Gratz High School as part of the Old Spice School of Swagger initiative, according to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Gabriella DiGiovanni.
(Photo Credit: Mark Stehle)
The School of Swagger is a 10-year mission to help increase high school graduation rates by 10 percent.
Experts say that confidence is the best predictor of achievement in both mathematics and English, is related to both cognitive and self-belief measures and is among the best-known predictors of success. Old Spice believes that the rate of high school student dropouts can be lowered by working to build confidence and create lasting, positive and impactful personal and academic relationships through mentorship.
The 13-year NFL veteran said that mentorship and people investing in him throughout his life allowed him to dream big, pursue his passions and chase after whatever brought purpose to his life.
(Photo Credit: Mark Stehle)
"That's where we meet these kids right now," Jenkins told the Eagles’ DiGiovanni. "At that place where they need encouragers, they need people with vision to speak life into them, to show them things about themselves that they might not know yet, skills that they have that they don't know that they can monetize or live off of – all of that's important in development and hopefully we're doing that through this program."
Old Spice School of Swagger is all about understanding the unique needs and identities of young people, bring communities together to support those needs, and work with partners to sustain resources in those communities for long term impact. Learn more.
School of Swagger: Old Spice, Walmart and Rich Paul Honor First Graduating Class
On June 10, Old Spice’s “School of Swagger” celebrated its first graduating class with a commencement event in Chicago. A week later, Old Spice held another graduation ceremony in its hometown, Cincinnati. Graduates in local mentorship programs, participating mentors and family members attended the ceremony, where they heard from Rich Paul, Klutch Sports Group’s CEO and the program’s inaugural keynote speaker.
The School of Swagger, launched by Old Spice and Walmart, is a program committed to ensuring no student drops out of high school due to a lack of confidence by creating positive personal and academic relationships through mentorship. Studies show young people with a formal mentor relationship are 95% more likely to stay on track to graduate high school, yet only 1 in 3 American students have a mentor today.1 Building on the brand’s 10-year goal of increasing high school graduation rates by 10 percent, Old Spice has focused on pairing adult mentors of all ages with young people across the nation, providing them with resources, materials and support to connect with and inspire their mentee.
“People just want to know that you care about them. It’s good to know that people actually want to see you do better,” said Paul. “Consistency, support and mentorship are the keys to helping young people see a future of unlimited possibilities for themselves beyond high school. The Old Spice ‘School of Swagger’ can help connect students in underserved communities with more people, programs and career paths that will inspire them to dream big.”
At a time when students were feeling more disconnected than ever because of the pandemic,2 Old Spice and Walmart teamed up with America’s Promise Alliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and C.H.A.M.P.S. Male Mentoring Program, to help achieve their 2030 goal.
Old Spice has always championed confidence. And building confidence also involves having access to academic resources and a community of support. In fact, young people with a formal mentor relationship are 130% more likely to hold leadership positions.3
“That’s why Old Spice is on a mission to help motivate high school students and inspire the next class of creatives, entrepreneurs, scientists, technologists, and community leaders with a national call for mentors who can help showcase opportunities across a wide spectrum of professional disciplines,” said Matt Krehbiel, Old Spice Vice President.
Interested in becoming a mentor? Click here.
1,3 Mentor.org (2019) The Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring, 2019.
2 America’s Promise Alliance (2020) What Drives Learning: Young People’s Perspectives on the Importance of Relationships, Belonging, and Agency.
