Every child, adolescent, and teen needs support from the caring adults in their lives. For young people growing up in nontraditional family situations, the additional support of a mentor is a powerful, stable influence during a critical time of life. During National Mentoring Month every January, we honor these partnerships and the many ways that they benefit mentees.
At JF&CS, we’re proud to be home to Atlanta’s only Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister program, PAL, since 1986. The PAL Program has helped countless young people find help and support that often turns into lifelong friendships, like it did for Chelsea and this year’s Big Pal of the Year, Ilissa.
Ilissa and Chelsea on a recent outing to the Fox Theatre
Chelsea and Ilissa have been PALs for the last ten years, and their bond is stronger than ever as Chelsea approaches her fifteenth birthday. Her mom Laura sought out the PAL Program because Chelsea doesn’t have a dad in her life, and Ilissa has been “a rock” for their family.
“I’ve always felt like Ilissa was a teammate in helping Chelsea navigate, grow, mature, and develop into this extremely independent, mature, confident teenager who is sure of herself and feels good about who she is,” said Laura. “We are in a great place now, but there were some bumpier patches over the last ten years. Ilissa has weathered all stages of life with Chelsea.”
Teen Mental Health Challenges
Chelsea served as flower girl in Ilissa’s wedding
The challenges today’s generation of kids and teens face are “unprecedented and uniquely hard to navigate,” cautions U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy. Technology and social media top the list of difficulties; add in pressing issues climate change and gun violence and increasing academic pressures, and it’s not hard to see why kids are so stressed. Between 2009 and 2019, the percentage of high school students feeling persistently sad or hopeless increased a whopping 40%--and that was before the pandemic.
All that to say, young people need supportive adults in their lives more than ever, and mentorship is proven to be an effective way to garner that support. Fifty-four percent of young people feel that having a mentor has supported their mental health, and 74% of those who had a mentor said that that person contributed significantly to their later success in life.
“I know there will be times down the road when my teenage daughter wants to talk to someone other than mom,” concluded Laura. “Ilissa has always been there for Chelsea, and I know will continue to be.”
If you know a young person who could benefit from becoming a Little PAL, or if you’d like to learn more about volunteering as a Big PAL or how to support the PAL Program, click here.