Theo Silverman ’18 recently announced his initiative to the community.
A new junior at Choate Rosemary Hall, Theo Silverman ’18, recently launched a mentorship program initiative in partnership with Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club, which is only one and a half miles away from Choate. The initiative’s mission is for Choate students to become role models and form relationships with the middle school students who visit the boys and girls club. The initiative seeks to get Choate students more involved with community service and have a positive impact on the Wallingford community by fostering good relationships with the club’s younger children.
“I think it is important not to be isolated in this Choate bubble from the rest of the community,” said Silverman. He continued, “We should be able to spread this wonderful Choate experience and the knowledge we’ve gained from this experience. Having an older role model can help guide you and help you answer questions. ” Choate students who are a part of the program receive community service hours, which count towards the graduation requirement. The Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club has a mentorship program, though it mainly consists of staff. Silverman’s initiative will be done in conjunction with that program.
An email was sent out by Mr. Yanelli to the student body with the application form in the beginning of spring term. As of now, the initiative has attracted five students, but Silverman hopes to see more students join. Ms. Megan Lenzzo, the Director of the Community Service Initiative at Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club, is helping Silverman to work out the details and schedule of the program. There will be more middle schoolers than mentors, so each mentor will be paired with multiple kids. At first, three or four children will be paired with each mentor, and after getting more comfortable, the children can decide which mentor they would like to stay with and which mentor exhibits similar interests and qualities compared to each kid. Mentors may play sports or do other fun activities, like painting and art, with the middle school students so that the kids have something to look forward to for each visit. There may be discussions or circle talks afterward, in which mentors can answer any questions their mentees may have and help them through anything when advice from an older companion would be useful.
Silverman got the mentorship idea from a community service experience at his previous high school. He and his twin brother started up a similar program to collect sports equipment and donate those items to different community centers, while making a brief yet memorable connection with the kids there.
One of the main obstacles in the process of creating this program was finding a way to fit the schedules of the Choate students with the schedule of the Boys and Girls Club. The times set out currently are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30, which is a difficult time to get Choate students to come. Silverman tried to work around this and proposed meeting on the weekends, but the Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club does not have a formal program during weekends.
At first, the idea for the program was for an athletic equipment donation to the Ulbrich Boys and Girls Club. Silverman presented this idea for approval in front of COSA, and after some advice from Mr. Yanelli, the faculty adviser to COSA, the idea evolved into the mentorship program it is today.
Silverman said, “The goal is that in the future, when I have graduated, the program continues. I hope that more kids think it is interesting and join.”
