My Turn: Mentoring helps child’s self-worth
By Meredith Rivlin, Burlington Free Press

June 9th, 2009

To move on to the next phase of my life in Burlington, I had to move physically. From the incongruously nicknamed “College Ghetto,” I moved closer to the South End after graduating from UVM.

Several doors down from the King Street Youth Center, I moved into a three-bedroom apartment in a neighborhood largely populated by resettled refugees and people living in poverty; these were not students who had to borrow money from their parents to buy a 30-rack of Bud Lite like I was used to do, but large families who spoke little to no English and who, if they wanted to pay for heating and food each month, were forced to buy highly processed, non-nutritious foods from a drug store.

I was about to begin a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA. Commonly described as the “domestic Peace Corps,” being a VISTA requires a member to live in poverty in order to better relieve poverty. I would be serving with Mobius, the Mentoring Movement, a local nonprofit umbrella organization dedicated to finding adult mentors for kids in the area, many of whom lived near and attended the King Street Youth Center.

I had been looking to fill one of the rooms of my apartment and a portion of the rent was a month and a half past due. I could not afford this much longer. Craigslist had proven to be a valuable resource in finding people looking for housing, but when they came to see the apartment they were hesitant of the neighborhood.

“Is it safe?” most women asked.

I tried to explain that living surrounded by male college students is probably a lot more dangerous than living in a neighborhood populated by African families. New Americans make news headlines a lot less than lacrosse players, frat boys and other young alcoholics-in-training when it comes to harassment and rape charges.

“Why do they dress like that?” asked one man who came to view the apartment when a group of children walked by from the Youth Center in baggy, unmatched clothing. I made clear that thrift stores like the Salvation Army provide clothing not only for hip college students aiming for trendiness, but for families who actually need a 25 cent sweatshirt and have no other options.

The potential housemates didn’t run screaming, but instead declined and ended up looking for a “better fit” — a room in a neighborhood where they weren’t threatened by being the minority and where their comfort level was not threatened by the proximity of poverty.

Shifting life from being a college student in Burlington to a VISTA in Burlington, I have become more aware of the services offered (and the lack of resources available) to those living in poverty — whether they are $5 or $500 below the poverty level. Mobius is serving the children of these and all families in Chittenden County, providing children with the notion that they can break the cycle of poverty.

Mentoring increases a child’s self-worth, at least enough for her to realize her potential. If some instances of poverty in Burlington exist due to inherited circumstances within the family, for instance the idea that the family has always lived in poverty and therefore always will, mentoring seeks to change that idea. As a VISTA I am recruiting as many volunteers as possible in hopes that they can be matched with children who are in need of a mentor. These are children who need to be shown their potential and learn how to develop meaningful relationships on their own. These are children who deserve all that we can invest in them.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a mentor and helping this youth population in Chittenden County, please contact me at 658-1888 or meredith@mobiusmentors.org .