This fall, the Silver Lining Mentoring program team is excited to launch our next Build-A-Match cohort (BAM) at a residential placement in Needham, MA. BAM is a six-week cohort program for youth ages 7-13 living in a residential placement, which means placement in a licensed publicly- or privately-owned facility, other than a private family home, where 24-hour care is provided. This program is designed to help introduce younger youth to mentoring and provide unique accommodations in support of their needs.
Each young person is paired with a volunteer mentor who is committed to using these six weeks as an onramp to a minimum year-long mentoring relationship. BAM is an exciting and safe opportunity for mentees to begin a mentoring relationship that can last for years!
One of our BAM matches enjoying the recent Silver Lining Mentoring community day event at Castle Island.
Throughout the BAM experience, matches are supervised by an SLM program coordinator who guides them through a variety of relationship-building and hands-on activities. Staff use a trauma-informed lens and social-emotional learning concepts to design a safe, interactive and fun space for matches to enjoy.
We particularly love hosting BAM cohorts as they provide a wonderful opportunity to see mentees and mentors building their relationships in real-time, and a chance to see matches in community with other matches.
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.
