Last January marked the one year anniversary of the start of our youth mentoring program. In this program, volunteers are paired with a refugee youth to be a guide, a resource, and a source of support. Since it started, we have had over 35 matches, and many successful stories from both the volunteers and the youth! One such story is of Habib and his mentor, Marco Spinelli. Their match only began six months ago, but Marco said, “It seems like I’ve known Habib for years...we definitely had an immediate connection.”So far, they’ve done a lot together. Marco mentioned that, at times, it can feel a little stressful trying to find fun things to do, but Habib is so open and has such a warm personality that if nothing is planned, they normally end up doing a lot of talking. Habib also really enjoys playing video games, so they sometime just end up playing games. Habib is very inquisitive and interested in the life of his mentor, but is also comfortable sharing things about himself. Habib often goes to Marco for advice on different subjects, such as school, getting a job, and, as is common for boys his age, girls. Habib truly appreciates Marco’s willingness to help out, saying, “Whenever I need him or have a question, I can just call and talk to him and he’ll answer me…even if it’s a personal issue unrelated to mentoring.”
Habib has many goals for his future, and he says that Marco has helped him find the strength to continue towards those goals. Marco has connected Habib to different resources that will help him to eventually realize these long-term goals. Habib also said that Marco inspires him and has taught him how to be more independent, how to face difficulties in a different way, and keep working hard. He appreciates Marco for setting forth a positive example and for being a role model in showing how Habib should live his life.
However, there are also some challenges that come along with mentoring. Those issues can be as simple as timing and trying to find when would be good to meet up. At other times, though, the challenges are deeper. Habib is a refugee teenager who has been through a lot, and Marco, as an empathetic person, sometimes finds it hard. As he puts it, “when you care about someone, their problems are going to affect you too.” However, Marco encourages Habib to speak out more about how he’s feeling and what he’s going through, which proves for deeper discussions and new perspectives. Each has learned a lot from the other, and these emotional struggles are ones that they are happy to face and live up to.
When asked why they think the mentor match works so well, they both credit it to each other’s personalities. Marco was afraid, at first, that Habib would be hesitant and take a while to open up. However, Habib was immediately open to the experience and willing to jump right in! Habib also accredited the ease of the match to Marco’s positive, uplifting, and encouraging attitude. He said that due to Marco’s goal-focused outlook, Habib has learned how to be more goal-focused, persistent, and hardworking himself.
Marco and Habib are just one of our many mentor/mentee matches, and without this program, they would never have met each other. They both see it as a privilege to be able to share this experience. Now, they meet at least every other week and have bonded, created a solid support system between the both of them. Both hope that this mentor relationship will last longer than just the next year. As Marco puts it, “I am really excited to see what the future holds for him and being a part of that is a privilege.”
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