Opinion: Mentorship Programs Leave Lasting Impact on Your Internal Growth
Friends of the Children connects youth to individuals who will give them an underline support system outside of friends and family.
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Atlanta — Mentorship programs, such as Friends of the Children, is one of the many that connect youth to individuals who will give them an underline support system outside of friends and family. Being a mentor is about helping the youths career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. A mentor may help with exploring careers, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources.
I have been a part of a mentorship program since I was 5. Even though I’ve aged out of the program, I am still connected with my mentors. Almost over 15 years later, looking back, my mentors provided me with a bonus set of parents.
Coming from a single parent household, my mentors embraced me into their family like I was their own. After being the only child in their lives for three years, they started embarking on enlarging their family. When I found out they were expecting, they were scared to tell me, soly on how I would react to being the only child in their house. They welcomed me into their family, and to this day they consider me their oldest.
Looking back on my childhood and their involvement in my upbringing, they started taking me to places where my interests were. There were exhibits of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) and Vincent Vangho where I was interested and even the children's museum. As I’ve grown up, they’ve been very active in my life even after aging out of the program, they truly are my second set of parents.
If it wasn't for the mentorship program I wouldn't have these core memories, and an extra support system.
Miracle Trice, (she/her) is from Portland but is an Atlanta-based journalist who covers all aspects of entertainment and culture. Follow her on X and Instagram: @miracletb_
Edited by NaTyshca Pickett