Breadcrumb
Connecting With Her Inner Child
When Youth Mentoring Program’s director Ana Lucila Monjras started to work with children, she began to realize that like most people do, she forgot that she too was once a child. After having the opportunity to be a mentor to an elementary school student, Ana was able to see that children are little people who have feelings and real emotions. “When they throw a tantrum, most people will just brush it off, telling them, ‘You’re okay’,” Ana explained as she recounts how adults sometimes treat kids. However, she saw that when she became closer to young people, she changed into a person who could empathize with those who may not be able to express themselves in way most people understand.
Ana confided that connecting with these children also allowed her to see herself as a child, and therefore she found it easier to see the children for what they really are: change. She described how she sees the individual kids as not only “A future teacher, lawyer or doctor; not just their future selves, but the future itself.” As a director, she is grateful for the chance to participate in the movement that is mentoring those little hands which ultimately shape the next steps of our world. Youth Mentoring Program serves at elementary schools and a middle school in Arcata and with after-school and individual mentoring programs.
The volunteers of Youth Mentoring Program hanging out together at the YES House.