Front Page News
September 26, 2012
Making Meaningful Connections - Student To Student:
15 Years Of Mentoring In Pittsfield
Submitted By
Jeff Martel
The
Pittsfield Teen Mentor Program began fifteen years ago with the idea
that pairing older students with younger students in meaningful,
long-term mentoring relationships might be a way to make a
difference. I had spent many years working with teens in the
wilderness on hiking, canoeing and rock climbing trips and
repeatedly saw older teens looking out for the younger teens, much
like an older brother or sister would do. It really seemed
like it was an idea worth growing into a program.
Donna
San Antonio of the Appalachian Mountain Teen Project envisioned the
program and wrote the original grant. Pittsfield guidance counselors
Leslie Bergevin and Mike Curtin jumped on board and helped forge an
enduring school-community partnership. By year two, the Pittsfield
Youth Workshop had become a partner and soon after adopted the
program for its own. Fifteen years later, mentoring has become part
of the culture in Pittsfield: older students helping younger
students, adults supporting teens, a community supporting a program.
The
original goals of the program still hold true, to build on the
innate resilience within all youth by developing a sense of
belonging, mastery of skills, responsible independence, and
compassionate generosity. The commitment we asked for with each pair
was just one year. But with most of the mentor pairs, they continued
in the program for two or even three years. Many of the
relationships formed have extended even beyond the life of the
program.
In the
following weeks and months, we will share with you some of the
profound experiences of the program participants: mentors, mentees,
parents, school staff and community members. In celebration of
fifteen years of mentoring in Pittsfield, these are the words of our
youth mentors.
Kelsea Captolia Eaton
PMHS Class Of 2008 Foss Scholar, Mentor
B.A.
Green Mountain Community College, 2012
Being a
part of the mentor program was one of the only parts of my PMHS
experience that really connected me with the community. You can join
as many resume building committees and clubs as you want---but there
is nothing as meaningful and important as being a part of a group
that truly works to positively change the lives of others. And that
is exactly what we did. It wasn’t just the time spent with our
mentees that was important, the whole group dynamic was a real life
changing thing.
Our
group meetings were some of my favorite and most memorable parts of
the mentor experience for me. It was one of the only opportunities I
really had to speak with a group of my peers about things that
mattered, and know that everyone was actively listening and really
cared. Hearing some of the stories told by fellow mentors about
their own lives and the lives of their mentees made me feel so
blessed to have ever gotten the chance to know and be a part of such
an awesome group. Every mentor brought something different to the
table, from intelligence to creativity. We all had something in
common, a good sense of humor and real emotional investment in what
we were doing.
Hanging
out with Kaitlin while I was her mentor was always so fun. It’s a
challenge to really get to know and understand someone so much
younger... because while they are really excited to hang out with
someone older, it’s like they stay a little bit guarded too,
particularly the kids with a tougher home-life. But it was
definitely a challenge that I was excited to take on, and little by
little, Kaitlin and I really formed a close bond. It’s been about 8
years since I started in the mentor program, and Kaitlin and I still
keep in contact. We text and talk on Facebook and still really adore
each other. It’s interesting, because we can go months without
talking but the bond will always be there. That’s where the mentor
program finds its real strength, and this is where the PMHS mentor
program excels; the bonds we formed are permanent. Kaitlin and I
will never just be another person to each other. We have a real
connection with each other. The same goes to the other mentors whom
I worked with, I hold a special place in my heart for all of them.
From
snuggling on the comfy chairs with the other mentors and laughing
our butts off, to watching the group cheer on and root for a teary
eyed mentor who had a hard time going across the ropes course, to
spending a night eating pasta and hiking through the rain... the
memories I have of the mentor program will always be so dear to me.
I am still nostalgic about it from time to time.
For
more information on the Pittsfield Teen Mentor Program, please
contact Jeff Martel at Pittsfield Middle High School, 435-6701, or
Paula Martel at the Pittsfield Youth Workshop, 435-8272.
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