Mentor Story Project: Board Member Jacquelyn

This post is part of a series called the Mentor Story Project. Each week a new Friends for Youth champion will be featured with his or her mentoring story. Some stories are about mentoring with Friends for Youth, others are about informal mentoring experiences.

Who Did You Mentor?
My Name: Jacquelyn

Years with Friends for Youth: 5+

Name of my Mentee: Kelia

Years we’ve been friends: 5+

Where we met each other: At Kelia’s home

Age difference: 18 years

What we like to do together: Movies, games, crafts, and attending shows/events.

Something we won’t forget: Her first time ice skating, her first dance lesson, going to the circus, and playing laser tag!

Most important thing I’ve learned: I got to coordinate with her teachers each year and understand how she was doing in school and any ways in which I could be a positive force in her academics. I learned that there are many ways you can positively influence someone's interest in learning other than just with tutoring and home work!

“The best thing about my mentoring experience was getting to share so many fun times with Kelia. I got to expose her to many new things that she otherwise would probably never have encountered and I got to see her excitement in experiencing things for the first time. It was very rewarding when others began to see positive changes in her as a result of having a consistent, positive relationship me.”