Often, the most beautiful growth that we see in the mentees in our program is the smallest. If you’re not looking for it, it could even go unnoticed or glossed over as ordinary. Healing from trauma and learning how to engage in healthy relationships is daily, steady, ongoing work, and the fruit comes in unexpected ways.

Recently, our mentors and mentees gathered for one of our monthly LinkUP! events at a local farm. The farmer explained that they would have the opportunity to go on a hayride, paint pumpkins, make s’mores and enjoy the peaceful lakeside. One mentee, who brought her two young children with her, shared that she had never done any of these things before, let alone her children! What a joy it was to be able to provide her with that experience.

This same mentee, later in the afternoon, noticed that another girl was having a difficult time. Instead of continuing to enjoy the fall activities around them, the mentee asked a staff member if she could talk with the other girl and see if she could help her. While on the onset this may seem like a small, ordinary gesture, the significance of this request was something to celebrate. In the 4 years that the mentee has been engaged in our program, she has never shown the growth to be able to look outside of herself to notice how she could help others.  This small gesture showed us that this mentee is moving from a survival mindset toward stability, growth and health. What a joy to witness!