When I first started YWLP as a Big Sister in the fall of my 2nd year of college, I had no idea what to expect. I was nervous about being a mentor to a middle school girl. What if I wasn’t able to connect with her? What if she didn’t like me?
As the mentors in my group talked through these hopes and fears about mentoring with each other, our group’s facilitator, who had previously been a mentor, shared that the most important thing is to just be there for your mentee. Interactions like this with my group made me realize how special YWLP is. Everyone tried to continuously put in their best effort to be a support to their mentee and our YWLP group as a whole. We would all bond over topics such as the inordinate amount of homework we had, what it meant to be a good friend, and challenges of body image for girls.
Even though our 2019-2020 year was cut short by COVID-19, the relationships I built in YWLP influenced me to apply to be a mentoring group facilitator in my 3rd year. Through the highs and lows of being on Zoom in the middle of a pandemic, being able to meet online with my YWLP group every week was something I looked forward to. We made the space to listen to each other while also having fun and being goofy with our dance parties, for example. These moments demonstrated to me the importance of leaning into community in crazy times and making space to laugh and be joyful.
As I transitioned to working behind the scenes as an intern for YWLP in my 4th year, I was able to meet amazing interns from other programs in the Women’s Center and also talk more with the supportive staff around the center. They make everything run smoothly and care deeply about everyone who comes to the Women’s Center. The people here make it a truly special and joyful place. Thank you!