Mentorship program relaunch brings youth and volunteers together

Tribal youth and prospective mentors gathered at the House of Awakened Culture Sept. 17 to re­launch the Suquamish Tribe’s mentorship program, bringing students and adult volunteers together for lunch, conversation, and a chance to begin building new connections.

The event included an overview of the renewed program, a panel discussion with former mentors and mentees, and a bingo-style speed mixer de­signed to get students and volunteers talking.

The mixer sent students around the room look­ing for adults who matched interests and experi­ences listed on their bingo cards — an easygoing way to break the ice before formal mentor pairings are made.

Chief Kitsap Academy Principal Lucy Dafoe said the program is intended to create lasting re­lationships between students and trusted adults in the community.

“We want to have three luncheons throughout the year,” Dafoe said. Between those gatherings, mentors and mentees will have a menu of activi­ties they can choose from together, ranging from individual outings to group activities.

While more than 80 students have expressed interest in participating, about 37 adults had vol­unteered as mentors at the time of the event. CKA students will take part in the program, tribal youth from other local middle and high schools can opt in as well.

Relationships that last

During the panel discussion, former mentees and mentors reflected on the relationships they built through earlier versions of the program.

Brandy Boure recalled outings to Seattle, indoor skydiving, movies, lunches, and other experiences with her mentor, Randi Purser.

“I just loved being able to experience a bunch more stuff while getting a mentor that would help me out too,” Boure said.

Vincent Chargualaf remembered a very different kind of mentoring relationship.

His mentor, Gyasi Ross, would pick him up before or after school to work out.

“He would show up at my house, pick me up whether I was ready or not, and we would go,” Chargualaf said. “We would lift for a little bit, then just talk about life.”

Over time, Chargualaf said, he came to under­stand that those workouts were about far more than exercise.

“He was trying to show me some things — how to stay healthy and how to navigate things that I might be struggling with while I was 16 or 17 years old.”

Della Crowell said her relationship with a former mentee was built mostly through phone calls.

“We spent a lot of time talking about the day, talking about issues or concerns that she had,” Crowell said.

Years later, the two still occasionally exchange texts and emails.

Crowell also emphasized the importance of having another trusted adult available when young people may not feel ready to talk with a parent.

“Sometimes there are things you can’t talk about with your parents,” she said. “Sometimes that’s something you can talk to us about.”

Making the first connection

Panelist Denita Holmes encouraged both men­tors and students not to worry if their personalities do not seem like an obvious match at first.

Holmes recalled being extremely quiet as a child, so much so that teachers paired her with an outgo­ing high school student who helped draw her out of her shell.

“She was the exact opposite from me,” Holmes said. “But the way she helped me grow up as a teenager to a young adult to an adult now really helped me.”

Her advice for the first mentor meeting was simple: come prepared to ask questions.

“Where did you grow up? What are your in­terests? What’s your favorite color?” Holmes said. “Even those little tiny questions could make a connection.”

Dafoe said organizers also hope to build more intergenerational connections into the program. After meeting with Suquamish Elders, she said there was strong interest in greater Elder involve­ment, including the possibility of an Elders career day.

The mentorship program will hold additional group lunches in January and again in the spring, while mentors and students meet between those larger gatherings.

Anyone in the Suquamish community interested in serving as a mentor is encouraged to reach out to men­torprogram@suquamish.nsn.us.