Terry and Kiara have been a mentor pair for about six years. In honor of National Mentoring Month, they sat down to talk with Lt. Governor Zuckerman to share more about the mentoring programs they’ve been involved in, such as Grand Isle County Mentoring and our own mentoring program.

Asked how their partnership has changed over the years, Kiara told “We used to play Trouble a lot, and different board games. Now, we go ice skating a lot, we go to the movies, and we go to [my mentor’s] house and cook.”

Plus, Kiara is involved in Girls Who Code.

“Kiara just amazes me,” says her mentor Terry. “She’s very bright, and very interested in technology and computers. She was showing me this program that she wrote, and I didn’t know anything about it, and I thought, how can I help her in an area that I don’t know anything about?

Hearing about Kiara’s interest in coding, Terry’s daughter recommended Girls Who Code.

“So we contacted them, and found out that it was an agency, and located at UVM, so now every Saturday, I help by taking her to Girls Who Code,” says Terry.

Plus, there are countless other activities, too. As Terry told Lt. Gov. Zuckerman, “it has been great to branch out to [the Spectrum mentoring program]. It gave us a lot of flexibility.” Together, Kiara and Terry can go on all kinds of adventures, or out in the community together.

“Thanks to Mobius, there’s a bunch of businesses that offer discounts for the two of us.”

For example, when Kiara told her mentor she wanted to learn to ice skate, Terry took advantage of the Mobius discount to visit the Cairns Arena in South Burlington. It’s free for Kiara to skate, and Terry pays just $5.

Plus, they’ve been able to go to several shows at the Flynn, thanks to Mobius’s generous discounted ticket program for mentor pairs.

Lt. Governor Zuckerman asked how their mentoring relationship has impacted their lives.

“[Having a mentor] has helped me have a little more self-confidence,” says Kiara.

“I feel young again,” says Terry of her experience as a mentor. “I feel like a teenager when I’m with her. I feel excited to show her new things, but often Kiara is the one who is teaching me more.”

And says Kiara of the partnership, “it’s good to know that there’s someone there to bring you places and help you do stuff when nobody else wants to.”

“And, it’s good having someone to talk to. Sometimes, people don’t want to listen to you, but mentors do.”

Listen to their full interview on Lt. Governor Zuckerman’s Facebook page.

Interested in becoming a mentor? Contact Stephanie, our mentoring coordinator, at sball@spectrumvt.org or (802) 864-7423 x321.

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From our ED, Mark . . .

I wanted you to see this video—it’s fun to watch and does a good job explaining the impact you have on our youth.

I’d love to know what you think. Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for keeping our doors open,

Mark Redmond
Executive Director

The post The Doors You Keep Open appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“To be honest, I couldn’t guarantee if I’d be alive or not.”

This is what one young woman told us when asked where she would be without Spectrum.

Watch this video to get a glimpse inside our residences and drop-in, and hear from three clients who are turning their lives around. You’ll be inspired by their resilience and strength.

The post Where would you be without Spectrum? appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

On Monday, December 8th, Executive Director Mark Redmond was featured on Comcast Newsmakers. He spoke about what makes Spectrum services unique, the changing needs of the youth we serve, and the upcoming Spectrum Sleep Out in March 2015.

In his words:
“We work with young adults who are struggling … We try and focus on their strengths. We believe that with each young person, there is some strength that we can draw upon, and help them build from there. It’s called positive youth development, and I think that’s what makes us unique.”

The post Mark Redmond on Comcast Newsmakers appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Jeetan Khadka pictured with youth from the Burlington group Diversity Rocks

Jeetan Khadka is one of our staff at Spectrum, and he is also one of the key organizers of Diversity Rocks, a multicultural youth group based in Burlington.  Diversity Rocks put together a 3-minute video featuring young Vermonters from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrating the attributes that both unite and differentiate them.

The video won two awards recently — a first-place prize in the “Media Outreach” category and a third-place prize for the “Audience” category — from the Maryland-based Excellence in Community Communications and Outreach program.

See their video below — you’ll be inspired. Congratulations, Diversity Rocks!

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