Saturday, January 19, 2013

The Blind Leading the Blind?

So I've just started this semester (ish) long peer mentor program through the Good Samaritan House. I know what you're thinking: you a mentor? Seriously could be the blind leading the blind here, right? And indeed, the idea of giving an impressionably young Atlantian advice does seem a bit daunting (what if I saw the wrong thing?!) but all in all I think I've amassed a nice cache of wisdom during my 22 years. After all, I've managed to keep myself alive this long, and hey, if my own little sister won't come to me for advice, well I might as well share my lifetime of knowledge with someone.

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A little more about the program: each of the mentors have been matched with a mentee, a local Atlanta high school kid (they're coming primarily from the area in which Good Sam is located so not necessarily the most privileged of kids) and are running sessions teaching them about nutrition, healthy relationships, substance abuse, etc. so that they can take what they have learned and become community health ambassadors at their own schools.

Overall it's gonna be good, and I'm excited to make even a marginal difference in someone's life. I guess I'm semi-nervous because... well maybe about half of the mentors are (seemingly) privileged white girls, while all of the mentees are young African-American girls. So I'm wondering how this will go. On the one hand everything seems so far so good, but I have to wonder if skin color makes relating to someone a little more difficult. I like to think that I am good at looking past skin color and seeing just the person within, but hell, even I will start to bristle if a rich white person starts telling me what's what. I think it all boils down to being nice and treating a person like a person (perhaps I've just laid out the foundation for peace on Earth?).

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