Imagine Hope - July 2020
Building the Mentorship Relationship: The First Two Months
Imagine Hope is a one-year blogging project being undertaken by Caitlin Newby as she engages with Imagine LA at the deepest levels and shares her experiences and reflections.
I am so excited to finally be writing about my mentorship experience! Though it has only been about two months since I first met my mentee and her family on Zoom, it has already been such an enriching and rewarding process.
Before I dive in, however, I want to state clearly my aim for this article. Out of respect for the privacy of my mentee and her family, and in accordance with Imagine LA Mentor program policies, I will not be sharing anything revealing about her, but will paint you a picture of a wonderful 6-year-old girl, and my own thoughts and feelings as a Mentor at the beginning of a collaborative relationship.
I was at first somewhat reluctant to begin mentoring virtually, as I assumed that it would make the getting-to-know-one-another process that bit more awkward. I was convinced to begin straight away, however, after partaking in the Virtual Mentor Training session led by Imagine LA Family Case Manager Vanessa Monroy (an experience which I wrote about for this column in May). The potential awkwardness of meeting and building a relationship with a stranger is surely nothing compared to the stress and isolation that many families were (and still are) feeling in these times!
About a month after the training, I received an email informing me that I had been matched with my mentee. Not long after that email, my Family Team Manager called me to give me more information about my mentee and her family, and to advise on how to set up and conduct virtual calls with my mentee. She reminded me to be open and patient, that all mentorships are different, and that my mentee and her family, like so many others that work with Imagine LA, were eager to be matched with Mentors.
At the time of the writing of this article, I have spoken with my mentee five times. I could tell that she, like myself, was a bit shy at our first meeting. Our conversation was light, the usual introductory questions were asked. She loves L.O.L. dolls, playing dress up with her sister, and drawing, and can create something out of anything. She even showed me the doll’s clothes she made out of paper and, as we talked, made a hairbow à la JoJo Siwa from a paper towel! I met her family and we set up a weekly time to chat.
As the weeks have progressed, I have been able to slowly learn more and more about my mentee and her family. Conversation isn’t always easy, but as they have shared more about themselves, their goals, and their interests, I can feel myself being drawn into their lives as any friend would. Though my role is labeled “Mentor,” I am neither here to fix her nor to tell her what to do. Rather, I am here to be a safe and supporting partner, to listen to and encourage her, and to help her growth at a critical stage in her development. Nerves are being replaced with anticipation, and we are already talking about the things we might do together once we can meet each other in person. Hopefully in a few months, by the time I next write about my mentorship experience, we’ll have done just that!