Jay*, Gilbert*, and Theo* are in middle school. They also live in foster care. For most of their lives none of them socialized much or even knew other kids like themselves, kids in foster care. Sometimes this left them feeling isolated and alone. “No one knows what it’s like,” said Theo, “unless you’re in it too.”  

And then the three boys joined the Wonder Mentoring Program separately and met each other during a Wonder group outing at a park. They hit it off playing kick ball and looked forward to seeing each other again. “You can feel different around other kids,” said Gilbert, “but I didn’t feel that way around Jay and Theo.” At the next Wonder group event, the boys approached their Wonder mentors about spending more time together.  Their resource/foster parents had noticed an improvement in their outlook and even in their schoolwork, so they collaborated with the boys’ mentors to plan a trip to go sledding in the mountains. None of the boys had been before.

Apart from Jay losing a glove, they enjoyed the trip immensely and want to do something like it again. They continue to spend time together and text and call each other often.  They have become good friends. The benefits of mentoring programs like Wonder are well proven. Participating youth often do better in school and make healthier choices in life. Wonder mentors can also help youth in foster care heal from past trauma and develop important social and emotional skills that will benefit them as they grow older. Through its group activities, Wonder also provides youth like Jay, Gilbert, and Theo the chance to make friends with kids just like them, to expand their peer group and networks of support, making their lives a whole lot brighter.

January is National Mentoring Month, what a better time to join our next Wonder orientation! Learn how you can get involved and change the life of a youth in foster care.

*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.