The Fortitude Crew

Following our second group mentor/mixer activity of a Pancake and Bacon Breakfast held Thursday, December 15th in partnership with the CA Active Living Senior Center, I sat back and just thought, "I am truly fortunate."  It is an exciting and yet overwhelming privilege working with the Crispus Attucks YouthBuild High School students. They are a phenomenal group of young adults ranging in age from 16 to 21 years old. Not a day goes by that I am not belly laughing over some dished out, razor-witted banter. Or awed by the tender parenting displayed for one of their own, young children. Sad to say though, those amusing and touching moments are often balanced by the heartbreaking experiences our young people live day in and day out.

But if you look up "resiliency" in the dictionary, you would find pictures of most of our students. They truly define "bouncing back". One of the keys to sustaining their "bounce" is to partner them with a caring adult, a mentor, who is able to help them navigate their high school experience along with the transition into post-secondary training or the job market. The time commitment we are asking is 4 hours a month for approximately 15 months.

We have 45 students (and counting!) who agree with that statement and have signed up to participate in our mentoring program called, Fortitude Crew. Anxious and responsible does not begin to describe how we feel about recruiting capable mentors to fulfill their expectations. As we reach out into our York City community for adults who are energized but understandably patient, we are hoping you will want to join us in this journey. Please, contact Dawn Squire at Crispus Attucks YouthBuild for more information about being a mentor. phone: 848-3610 ext 243 or email: dsquire@crispusattucks.org