Supporting Youth as a Form of Self-Care

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Submitted by Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center.

With a new year ahead and almost two years of pandemic behind us, self-care has become more crucial than ever. Be it nature walks, laughing with friends, or getting enough sleep, self-care can be used to decompress and to rejuvenate. Self-care might even include contributing towards a healthier, more joyful community by volunteering. Afterall, giving our time to worthy causes helps us reduce stress, anger, and anxiety, while increasing self-confidence, happiness, and sense of purpose. Of all the volunteer opportunities available in our community, investing in the outcomes of local youth has the greatest potential to create a future we can feel good about.

With that in mind, the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center is dedicated to promoting youth resilience through their programs and provides several volunteer opportunities. The Youth Mentoring Program has a twenty-two-year history of connecting caring adults with elementary and middle school aged youth in one-on-one mentorships. To become a mentor there is an application, interview process, and comprehensive training followed by a match meeting with the mentee. From there the mentor commits to meeting on a regular basis for one year. The goal of these meetings is to expose youth to new experiences and cultivate self-confidence while acting as a supportive role model.

Now more than ever youth need extra support. The San Juan Island School District has conducted several surveys to monitor how youth are doing. The 2018 Healthy Youth Survey revealed that youth on San Juan Island are significantly more likely than their statewide peers to battle depression, anxiety, or suicide ideation. This means that in a classroom of 30 students in Friday Harbor, 18 are experiencing anxiety, 8 are enduring depression, and 4 have contemplated suicide. Since the pandemic, according to the Academic and Student Recovery Plan, students have noted a decrease in a sense of belonging, not feeling calm or relaxed at school, and a 49% increase in school therapy sessions.

Although these numbers are daunting, mentoring can be part of the solution. Mentoring reduces depression symptoms, while increasing social acceptance, academic attitudes, and grades. Mentor WA reports that youth that have a mentor are 55% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school, 78% more likely to volunteer, 90% are interested in becoming a mentor, and 130% are more likely to hold leadership positions.

Mentoring is also a mutually beneficial experience. Most matches in the Youth Mentoring Program extend well beyond a year and result in positive growth for both parties. Alan Budwill has been with his mentee for three years and had a lot to relay about his experience, “I was approached by a friend about the Family Resource Center’s Mentoring program. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I learned that a child had been waiting for over a year for a mentor. It seemed I could spare an hour a week to lend a hand. What surprised me is how much I have learned and benefitted from this relationship. I have a new friend. We both have new perspectives. It’s a connection that has positively affected both of our lives. I am so fortunate to be part of the FRC mentoring program. If you have a little bit of time to spare, I encourage you to consider being a mentor.”

Erin Wygant became a mentor in 2020 and shared “I cannot describe the joy my mentee has brought to my life and the rewarding program the Family Resource Center has built. I’ve been telling all my friends about it in the hopes younger people will get involved. I’ll shout it from the rooftops!”

A BIG THANK YOU to the following mentors: Alan Budwill, Jan Murphy, Craig Staude, Dennis Conrad, Declan Place, Mary Grove, Kelley Unger, Jamie Rice, Tanja Williamson, Dawn Alger, Mark Alger, Robyn Carbuccia, Erin Wygant, and Sue Patterson.

So, if you’d like to learn more about this program or are ready to get involved, please contact Delphina Liles, delphinal@jlsfrc.org, (360) 252-0621.