January is NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH and TJJD would like to express deep appreciation to each Mentor! Throughout the month, the agency has shared a variety of stories, training/webinar invitations, and video links that underscore the critical role mentors play in the lives of TJJD youth. If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a TJJD mentor, please contact Tammy Holland at 512-490-7090.
Scott Bolsins: The Story of a Reluctant Mentor
I have always had a place in my heart for youth and have served as a volunteer coach on several sports teams. When I was approached by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department about working with a 10-yearold boy who was serving a possible 15-year incarceration, I would like to say I jumped at the chance; however, I hesitated because I was anxious about working with a child who was incarcerated. I tried to reason away that I would have little impact on someone who had committed an offense that resulted in such a lengthy sentence. Nothing could have been further than the truth.
My initial meeting was not what I had anticipated. I was introduced to a child who was polite, however shy. He was no different from any other boy I had coached, with the exception that he desperately needed someone to care about him. We played games and he cheated several times to ensure himself that I would win. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to make sure I came back. It broke my heart.
After a few months I learned that he was making less than average grades and it was obvious that he had no concept of a life outside of the justice system. We worked on his confidence and I started to get him to dream again of what his life would look like if he could change things. His grades improved to an A-average as he set goals to graduate, not only from high school, but to earn a college degree. Within a year, the introverted child who was unable to look me in the eye or complete a sentence was laughing, talking nonstop and planning to earn a degree as a graphic artist. He picked up the passion for reading, and was reading books that were several grade levels above his age.
I have worked with him for three years and I am proud of the young man that he has become. He is now living with a foster family in my hometown and is like any other awkward teenage boy you would see at the mall or playing with friends. His eyes are now filled with hope instead of the undeniable pain I saw during our first visit.
Looking back, my initial thought was that I had very little to offer and I have come to realize that I had everything he needed. I didn’t have to have profound advice or even all the right answers; all he needed was a little of my time and to know that someone cared. It can make a difference that is impossible to measure, as this experience has changed us both.
Scott Bolsins: The Story of a Reluctant Mentor
My initial meeting was not what I had anticipated. I was introduced to a child who was polite, however shy. He was no different from any other boy I had coached, with the exception that he desperately needed someone to care about him. We played games and he cheated several times to ensure himself that I would win. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to make sure I came back. It broke my heart.
After a few months I learned that he was making less than average grades and it was obvious that he had no concept of a life outside of the justice system. We worked on his confidence and I started to get him to dream again of what his life would look like if he could change things. His grades improved to an A-average as he set goals to graduate, not only from high school, but to earn a college degree. Within a year, the introverted child who was unable to look me in the eye or complete a sentence was laughing, talking nonstop and planning to earn a degree as a graphic artist. He picked up the passion for reading, and was reading books that were several grade levels above his age.
I have worked with him for three years and I am proud of the young man that he has become. He is now living with a foster family in my hometown and is like any other awkward teenage boy you would see at the mall or playing with friends. His eyes are now filled with hope instead of the undeniable pain I saw during our first visit.
Looking back, my initial thought was that I had very little to offer and I have come to realize that I had everything he needed. I didn’t have to have profound advice or even all the right answers; all he needed was a little of my time and to know that someone cared. It can make a difference that is impossible to measure, as this experience has changed us both.