On March 11, Silver Lining Mentoring was out in full force for Youth Mentoring Day with five Silver Lining staff, four mentees, and six mentors to advocate for the power of mentoring.
Made possible by Mass Mentoring Partnership, Youth Mentoring Day is a unique annual opportunity to convene at the Massachusetts State House nearly 350 legislators, youth-serving programs, and young people from across the Commonwealth to highlight and celebrate the importance of mentoring relationships.
We’re so proud of our young people for sharing their personal stories with state representatives and highlighting how mentoring has impacted them—especially as youth with foster care experience.
In our meeting with Representative Rob Consalvo (14th Suffolk), he highlighted the importance of sharing your stories and experiences with lawmakers and their offices so they can go and share those stories to support their advocacy for funding line items within the budget.
We were struck (but not surprised) by how confidently our young people spoke to legislators about their admiration for their mentors and how they might never have met such a person without SLM. Rather than our mentors—who are incredible advocates—doing most of the talking, we have a lasting image of them sitting back and beaming with pride as their mentees passionately defended mentorship as a right, not a privilege.
Silver Lining mentors supported their mentees by attending the event, standing alongside them in advocacy efforts, and sharing their own journeys. They spoke about what mentoring means to them and why they became mentors, reinforcing the critical role these relationships play. SLM staff helped frame the purpose of the day—advocating for increased mentoring funding. SLM Community Outreach Coordinator Maria Pellicier spoke directly to state representatives about the impact of the FY25 reduction in the Mentoring Matching Grants line item (7061-9634), which decreased from $1.8 million to $1.5 million.
Silver Lining mentor Jessica had this to say about her experience: “I left feeling empowered to fight for mentorship funding, and felt as though I needed to participate in spreading the message of how important funding for these programs are and participation as well.”
And Silver Lining mentor Ashley said, “We were all bonded by our choice to participate in this event and advocate for the same goal, which I found to be very special.”
One of the most notable aspects of Youth Mentoring Day was the number of senators and state representatives who attended—not just as supporters, but as former mentors or mentees themselves. Seeing firsthand how many legislators have personal experience with mentoring reinforced the widespread impact of these relationships.
It was also powerful to witness the large turnout of young people, not just from Silver Lining Mentoring, but from various programs across the state. Their presence and willingness to advocate for mentoring made the day even more impactful.
We left Youth Mentoring Day feeling inspired by the collective energy of young people, mentors, state representatives, aides, senators, and mentoring staff from organizations all across Massachusetts, and a deep sense of gratitude for Mass Mentoring Partnership’s dedication to fostering these vital connections.
Thank you to all who participated in this memorable day!
Interested in learning more about mentoring a young person in foster care? Check out the Become a Mentor page and explore options for attending an upcoming volunteer info session.
