Mentor Story: "I Recognized Myself..."


"I realized very early on in my relationship with Devon that he was just like any kid, just a regular kid growing up in the foster care system."  Silver Lining Mentoring Mentor Adam continues, "I was in foster care when I was in my adolescence and I recognized myself in Devon."

For a few months, Devon tested Adam.  Like many youth in foster care, Devon had not had committed relationships with trusting adults, and he wasn't sure how to respond when Adam finally came along.  Adam remembers the exact moment that Devon started to trust him.  "We had gone to see the Red Sox and, when we left the game, Devon was pretty upset.  He started to run away from me.  I told him, 'Devon, you and I have to stick together!'  Something happened that night where our relationship changed.  Devon realized that I wasn't going to leave him, no matter what happened.  After that night, he didn't test me anymore.  He knew I would be there for him." 

After meeting in 2004, Adam and Devon had a strong relationship for several years. Despite experiencing a few years where they had less contact, they were able to reconnect and their relationship continues to strengthen today. Adam says, "I have to admit that I wish I could have been there more for Devon when he was in his adolescence."   Adam reflects that his own experience in foster care gave him a unique perspective on his relationship with Devon.  "My lived experience helped me to know how to best support him."


Do You Want to Run the Boston Marathon for Silver Lining Mentoring?



Applications due by  Monday, October 24th  to 
Alyson Molloy Hussey at alyson@silverliningmentoring.org.

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"But I do think that now that we've opened the door to look at the really hard, pressing issues for communities of color, we have a chance to look at other marginalized communities-people with disabilities and older people and people who are immigrants, particularly those who have limited English proficiency or are undocumented. The conversations create the space for us to look for a more universal approach and a more systematic approach that will improve the situation for communities of color and help everybody else. Because it's the system that's broken, not the people."  --Excer pted from Boston's First "Resilience Officer": Racism Is an Issue That Cuts Across Every Institution.  

At Silver Lining Mentoring, we know that youth in foster care are often in the target group across a range of forms of oppression.   As part of our ongoing efforts to support youth in foster care and be culturally responsive to their needs, we advocate for conversations about dismantling systems of oppression and moving towards equity for all.





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