 At-risk
youth in Boulder County are in need of positive role models. They are in need
of caring adults who can provide them with stable interaction, support in school
and encouragement to pursue their talents and goals. They are in need of
mentors like Bob Silk.
Since October, Bob has
volunteered as a mentor for the Boulder Enhanced Supervision Team (B.E.S.T.),
part of the county’s Community Services department. The B.E.S.T Mentor Program
matches adults and juveniles one-on-one in order to provide youth with enduring
links to positive supports in the community and reduce the likelihood of
recidivism. Like all the program’s mentors, Bob meets with his “mentee” on a
weekly basis. They spend time eating meals, bowling, go-cart racing, and
generally hanging out together doing, as Bob terms it, “guy stuff.”
One of Bob’s priorities
as a B.E.S.T. mentor is to provide his mentee with exposure to new and positive
experiences. He inspires his youth to do well in school and achieve personal
goals by first encouraging dialogue and activities that get his teen excited
about personal interests and abilities. Bob knows that many at-risk youth have
experienced a great deal of unfairness in their lives, often due to unfortunate
family situations; many have suffered the disadvantages of encountering the
justice system at a young age. “When youth encounter situations that cause them
to believe that the world is not a great place to live, they tend to act out,”
Bob observes. As a mentor, he helps provide a little more balance to that
equation.
In the past, Bob has
supported youth in his community through other volunteer programs, but says he
finds the one-on-one relationships provided by the B.E.S.T. program particularly
rewarding. By becoming a regular fixture in the life of his mentee, Bob has the
unique experience of witnessing some of the subtle changes his influence has
made in the teen’s life. These “little things,” he says, “can stay with youth
for a lifetime.”
“For me it’s about being
able to make a positive difference and knowing that, in the end, I may have
helped someone who didn’t have the advantages that I’ve had,” Bob said.
Bob’s advice for those
considering becoming a B.E.S.T. mentor borrows from the popular Nike catch
phrase. “Just do it!” he says. “It’s a good thing!”
* * *
For more information on becoming a B.E.S.T.
Mentor, contact the Justice System Volunteer Program at 303-441-3718 or at
jallan@bouldercounty.org. |
