"Walking in the door, I felt as if this was a mistake. I was a young black girl coming from the urban community into a suburban community program. No one could see my vulnerability; they could not see the roots that I lack. They could not see the horrible truth that I was concealing behind my mask. With every awakening breath, I was longing for someone to see the truth within. While there where many people who had my best interest in mind, and who genuinely wanted to help me, I felt so detached. How could I trust a system that had failed me? How could they possibly understand what youth of my skin color are faced with daily, or the barriers within my community? How is this person going to relate to me? How can I trust this person?" Mentoring can create a huge impact in the lives of youth, and if done thoughtfully, has the potential to strengthen cultural identity development and increase equity for youth of color. Building social capital, by providing access to internships, employment, and other opportunities, is one way mentoring can promote equity. In order to be effective, and avoid harm, mentors must receive the appropriate training to obtain the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to help mentoring become more responsive to the needs of the youth of color. To support this work, Wichita State University Center for Combating Human Trafficking and Youth Collaboratory, in partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention are releasing Culturally Responsive Mentoring for Youth of Color, a new module in our Shining Light on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Toolkit to Build Understanding, along with a blog on this topic from our Youth Catalyst Team member, Dashamir Pettway.
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