Thirteen-year-old Aidan is a smart and outgoing eighth grader with a great sense of humor. He likes school — especially science and social studies. He likes to spend time with his friends at the neighborhood park, playing soccer and basketball, skateboarding, and watching baseball. Aidan also participates in Simpson’s Middle School Mentoring Program. He has been matched with his mentor Jessica for just over one year.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and Simpson’s volunteer program on pause, Middle School Mentoring Program Coordinator Molly Dubois and her Children & Youth Services (CYS) teammates worked closely with students and families, like Aidan, to support their needs.
“Initially, a lot of time was spent responding to families’ immediate needs. Many kids were frustrated to not be in school, to not see friends. The murder of George Floyd caused many young people to feel more isolated and scared. Families lost access to neighborhood grocery stores and needed help getting food. Talking about feelings became most important. There was also a focus on the need to just be a kid,” she says.
Aidan and Molly, middle school mentoring coordinator
Molly offers individual support to students and families over Zoom once or twice per week. When the weather is nice, she meets with students outdoors. Molly creates individualized programming that incorporates internet research, craft activities, and learning related to student interests. “I’ve been surprised and excited by how much connection can happen within these virtual relationships,” she says.
Prioritizing the youth perspective, Molly turns to the youth she serves to help design programming. “At Simpson, we know the best thing to do is listen to the young people we partner with. It’s not just a hope, but an expectation. The young people are the ones who are closest to the solutions. We make space, step aside, and bring resources.”
During one of their one-on-one meetings, Aidan shared with Molly his vision for what soon became an outdoor, social distanced summer kids’ club, a weekly group of young people who also participate in Simpson’s Housing and Middle School Mentoring Programs.
“I talked to Molly and thought it would be fun if we all got together in a group and did activities we like. I already knew the kids in the group. I talked to them about what they liked. One of my friends likes hopscotch, so we played the game. One day we drew stuff with chalk and guessed about each other’s drawings. We played sports. Some days we would just talk. I helped Molly pick prizes. Everybody talks about how much they enjoyed the group,” he says.
Molly is pleased with how the summer kids’ club evolved. She found it a fun and creative way for young people participating in Simpson’s Family Housing Program to connect with one another.
She is proud of Aidan for his leadership in creating a positive sense of community for youth: “Aidan is so humble and modest. He took the planning by the helm. He’s an incredibly thoughtful guy.”