Mentor Story: "Showing Up"

Silver Lining Mentoring mentor, Erica,* remembers the first time she met her mentee, Tamia,* "She was this amazing, bright, resilient kid, but she was so guarded."  Tamia, then 11 years old,  "wasn't an affectionate, open, or happy-go-lucky kid."
 
Erica soon learned why. In her short life, Tamia had endured the kind of trauma that sadly is all too common for youth in foster care. Tamia and her sisters had been removed from their home when Tamia was nine.
 
From the start, Erica knew that gaining Tamia's trust wouldn't be easy. Initially, she estimates that she did 90% of the talking. But over time, with the support of Silver Lining's clinically-trained social workers, their relationship blossomed.
 
"These kids have been through crises," she says. "They've lived in multiple homes. People have been turning their backs on them their entire lives. The staff at Silver Lining said, 'Just keep showing up. Just keep showing up.'"
 
And show up, she did. Erica continued to be a steady presence in Tamia's life for the next several years. The pair, however, hit their first roadblock when Tamia was 15. At the time, she was living with her uncle in Dorchester. When problems began to escalate at home, Tamia ran away. Erica couldn't find her. She was frantic. That's when Evan Hubbard, her program coordinator, stepped in.


* Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.

Silver Lining Board Members Attend
Cultural Responsiveness Training


At Silver Lining Mentoring, one of our values is cultural responsiveness. We are committed to listening and responding to all voices to promote respect, compassion, and social change. 

As part of our ongoing commitment  to moving along the path of cultural responsiveness, the Silver Lining Mentoring Board of Directors participated in a cultural responsiveness training in July.

The training was led by Yolanda Coentro, President and CEO at the Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership.  The training included a discussion of the systemic context behind racial disproportionality in the foster care system and opportunities to build inclusion. 

Thank you to the law firm Brown Rudnick for generously hosting the training! 


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