Mentoring young lives

CELINA - A new mentorship program based out of Celina High School aims to create positive experiences and build confidence in Marshallese students by matching them with adult members of the local Marshallese community.

Recently at the Nite Owl Studio in downtown Celina, members of the Marshallese Mentorship Program gathered to make clay pots under the direction of Braelen Bader, an English language tutor at Celina High School and owner of the studio.

The fieldtrip was one of many activities those in the program have planned to help Marshallese teenagers feel more confident living in an area and culture that can be very different from what they're used to.

Vaughn Ray, the curriculum director for the school district, said the program is in its pilot year. School officials applied for funding from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Catholic Campaign for Human Development grant, and were granted the funds last summer.

"What we saw was a need for some mentorship with one of our more vulnerable populations at the high school and within the district," Ray said.

The grant helps pay for supplies and events for the 12 teens who are currently involved in the mentorship program. The students, who were nominated for the program by CHS staff members, meet from 12:30-1 p.m. every Wednesday at the high school, and are matched with adults who are members of the local Marshallese community.

Each mentor involved in the program has a strength, Ray said. Some are well-connected in the community, and can bring in guest speakers that may get students interested in local programs, or hook students up with a job shadowing opportunity.

"A big part of what our program here is introducing kids to new experiences. You know, the basketball program, working with other positive adults, this pottery class. Things that they wouldn't normally get to do," Ray said.

One young man was able to take a job shadowing opportunity with Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey, during which he was able to do a police ride along and get a tour of the Mercer County Adult Detention Facility. That would lead into a career in law enforcement, Ray said. Students have also been able to take tours of Tri Star Career Compact which Marshallese students have reportedly been hesitant to join. More lighthearted activities like a zoo trip also are planned.

"We want to get kids some career options, give them some life skills, get some positive relationships to where they know 'this is how an adult behaves, this is what's expected, and here's how I can get there,'" Ray said.

Shulammite David, one of the mentors in the program, said she got involved because she could relate to many of the kids' situations. She came to the United States from the Marshall Islands without knowing a word of English, and understands the difficulties the teens may face when adjusting to life in Celina; many of the kids in the program have recently come from the islands, she said.

She agreed there was a need for the program, especially in an area like Celina. Other areas with Marshallese communities - places like Oregon, Washington or Arkansas - are better melting pots than Celina.

Moving schools can be hard for any kid, but many of the students involved in the program have come straight from the islands. Not only do they have to deal with the regular pressures of being a teenager, they also have to get to know a different culture and language, and get used to being among people with very different experiences than their own.

Fitting in can be hard. For Marshallese children, finding themselves and where they're supposed to be while living in a different culture, a different town, a different everything, can be the biggest challenge, according to David. She hopes this mentorship program helps the kids gain confidence, encourages them to reach out into programs like sports and other activities, and builds life skills for living in the U.S. they might not have.

"I've seen a big difference with the kids from day one to now, where they were maybe more reserved and now they're coming out more, and just being more talkative. Because in the culture, we're very reserved, we don't make eye contact. It's considered rude to make eye contact," David said.

The students converse more, and during the fieldtrip to Nite Owl Studio, they often laughed as Bader showed them some of the tricks of the pottery trade. David said she was helping one student who recently applied for a job.

"These are the things that I take pride in," David said. "She's getting on her feet, she's feeling the confidence to be like, 'You know what? I can do it. I came here with no- maybe a word of English, but I can do it. If this person can do it, I can do it.'"

Even if mentors don't share all the same experiences with the students, David felt it could help the students to have a positive relationship with an adult who comes from the same culture. Both David and her husband are mentors, and want others from the community to get involved as well.

"That mentorship means a lot for these kids. They need that. They need that guidance," David said.

Word seems to be traveling about the program among students, too. Ray said members will sometimes bring friends to sit in on meetings, and those interested are never turned away.

"These kids just feel so comfortable. Not only with each other, but interacting with the adults, the positive mentors that are here. You can tell that there's a true rapport there."

While this year's program only has the budget for 12 kids this year, Ray said the goal is to expand to around 20 students, and eventually more. It will depend on securing grant funding from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati again. A funding proposal for next year has already been submitted, with help from Jim Mustard, the Grants Committee Chair for the Celina Rotary Club. The program has also received some donations of supplies or food from local businesses as well, Ray said.

It takes a team to make the program work - a team made up of awesome kids, mentors, English language tutors and other volunteers, Ray continued.

"We're just very thankful that so many people want to see this be successful, and it's just another great thing about Celina," he said.

However, in order to expand, more mentors will be needed. The more mentors involved, the more kids that can be involved, too.

"That's something that we're working on with the Marshallese community now. Next year, let's get more people. Let's make this bigger, because our population of Marshallese is growing," Ray said.

By the end of the trip to Nite Owl Studio, the clay pots designed by each student sat together, ready to be fired and finished in the kiln. Ray said the pots could soon be part of a display at the high school. It'd be a way for the kids already involved in the program to show off the fruits of their labor - and could also encourage other kids to join, too.