2022 Carolina Youth Mentoring Symposium explores the "courage to thrive"

Atrayus O. Goode, president & CEO of Youth Mentoring Collaborative (YMC) grew up in a household plagued by drug abuse. His background shapes his understanding of how Black and Brown students navigate traumatic experiences while attempting to get an education.

“Meeting my first mentor through the 100 Black Men of America afforded me the social and emotional support I needed to chart a different course, ultimately becoming the first in my family to attend college," Goode said. “That experience launched me into a lifetime journey of exploring how relationships, especially in a mentoring context, can bring fulfillment through noticing, caring effectively, and moving to action for yourself and those you love.”

 

Youth development experts from across the country gather on Saturday, November 12 at Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill, NC for the annual Carolinas Youth Mentoring Symposium to discuss ways to expand mentoring programs that promote health and well-being of families most impacted by systems of oppression. The YMC office is located at Provident1898, a Black-centric coworking community located in the historic NC Mutual tower. 

 

Goode says mentoring has the potential to disrupt patterns of disparity, while also perpetuating structural oppression through how programs view marginalized groups as targets of grant proposals instead of human beings.

 

“Instead of acknowledging how communities have been systematically stripped of power, many nonprofits—especially those focusing on mentoring and youth development—treat recipients of their services as needing to be saved from poor life choices,” Goode said. “For people on the receiving end, these invalidating environments create feelings of internalized inferiority that lower expectations, harm self-esteem, and ultimately impact their well-being.”

 

This year’s symposium features topics that elevate the power of identity-affirming mentoring relationships. Goode says YMC is exploring Healing-Centered Mentoring, an approach that examines the youth experience through varied perspectives to identify ways mentoring can promote mental wellness, while reducing structural barriers to mental health services.

Goode said Covid-19 exacerbated the mounting youth mental health crisis as school systems across the country continue to be overwhelmed with students experiencing elevated levels of stress and anxiety.

 

“But while the pandemic was hard on everyone, pre-pandemic realities for black and brown students disproportionately worsened pre-existing mental health conditions, hitting them and their families harder,” Goode said.

 

Participants at the symposium will be educated on several topics including advocacy, youth power and critical mentoring.

 

“Symposium attendees will have the chance to network and learn from each other, with the goal of taking knowledge back to their organizations. A new feature for this year's event is our youth track,” Kanalyn Jackson, vice president of training and organization at YMC said. “This track will have session topics around building relationships, entrepreneurship, working music industry, and the opportunity to connect and have fun.” 

 

Malenia Swinton, vice president of community engagement at YMC, said mentoring programs across the country, and specifically in North Carolina have experienced significant mentor and mentee attrition. Not being able to meet in person for mentoring session, funding and sustainability and mentor morale are contributing factors that negatively impact programs.

 

“However, we've seen mentoring programs rise to the challenge and fill gaps in services in their communities,” Swinton said. “Communities are reprioritizing young people and their mental health, pouring more resources into mentoring programs and other initiatives that support the health and well-being of youth.”

 

Swinton believes the symposium will serve as a catalyst for attendees to become more invested in the mentoring movement.

 

“By bringing together some of the brightest and most forward-thinking leaders from government, education, business, and beyond: we hope the Symposium plants the seed for even more meaningful and impactful mentoring relationships,” Swinton said. 

Hannah McKinney, manager of communications & storytelling at YMC, said the story of mentoring is about radically changing the lives of youth and their families.

 “Unfortunately, one in three young people grows up without a person or people that they can rely on. In this story, the problem is that historically disadvantaged and underserved youth lack reliable, supportive adult relationships,” McKinney said. “The solution is goal-based mentoring relationships with adults who can support their development. Who wouldn’t be swayed by a story like that?”