We look to the skies these days before we commit to our daily routines. Smoke from increasing fires has reminded us how interconnected we all are by weather patterns, seasons, and overall climate. In the midst of the hubbub brought on by change, some remain constant in their commitment to mentoring. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is one such group. They provide the opportunity for young adults to stretch their wings (sorry, I had to say it!) and get a “hands-on” approach to flying as they follow along in-flight and benefit from the informal mentoring being offered by the EAA Eagle Flights program. Check out my poster photo or visit the Young Eagles info page here for their upcoming event (register and verify due to the weather!): https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa219/young-eagles
Borrowing from the inspiring work of author and Surgeon David Cranston, the connection is made between eagles, mentoring, and spirituality. He does the very helpful work of addressing the etymology of the word “mentor” to ground us with some background before uplifting us with many historic examples and his own experience with mentoring. He explains: “In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, entrusted his son, Telemachus, to his friend and adviser, Mentor, when he went away to fight the Trojan War. Mentor was a wise and trusted figure who displayed many admirable qualities towards Telemachus. His task was not just to raise and educate Telemachus, but also to prepare and develop him for the responsibilities he would have to face as the heir to a kingdom. The relationship required a full measure of wisdom, integrity and personal investment on the part of Mentor.” (from On Eagle’s Wings, Models in Mentoring by David Cranston: 2014, 1517 Media, Fortress Press, p7-9) He is of course borrowing his title and theme from Old Testament text found in Isaiah 40:31, “You have seen what I did for you in Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” It's a very reassuring and resonant theme as mentoring programs like Young Eagles reach out to uplift youth and let them know they are not discounted or left behind. Authors note: August marks the end of my tenure with AmeriCorps and I have enjoyed blogging for you! If I can be of assistance in the future, please reach me via email: smchurch18@gmail.com -Contributed by Suzanne Church, AmeriCorps Mentor Coordinator
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Walking to the Pendleton Farmers Market started as a routine outing until I reached the flagpoles at Museum Park on South Main Street. July 17th and the flag of South Africa was flying in Pendleton. After adjusting for my own surprise--I am half South African--I followed the breadcrumbs to discover that the Lions Club was honoring Nelson Mandela Day. (See this and other United Nations Observance days: https://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/ ). A shout out to the Lions Club and the work they do to balance inclusiveness and outreach while creating a sense of belonging….various flags sharing space is an ideal way to demonstrate the possibilities if we are willing to operate within their model of connectivity. (I recommend checking out their “Peace Poster Contest” winners for a taste of the good they are serving up on many scales! https://www.pendletonlionsclub.org/main/ppc.html ). Similarly, I notice around town the many other events posted that evoke the notion of “heritage” and the willingness to invite others to experience a shared tradition, practice, or lifeway (my thoughts turn to butter and its pride of place in the pioneer experience!). We are invited to share in the pioneer experience at Heritage Station or become makers of rhythm with a handmade drumstick workshop sponsored by Crow’s Shadow. See my shared images of event posters for details, but note the ways in which a mastery of these skills guides us in a certain direction; creates a connection for and between us. Mentorship similarly seeks these connections and the Mentoring U podcast, Other People’s Children with Jean Rhodes, prompts us to consider reaching out to those we may not identify with as being under our wing. She asks us to be intentional as we look to the future and consider assisting those outside of our immediate circle. As she explains, “Few adults feel the imperative to serve as helpful guides to children outside their families or communities and poor students rarely develop the skills and sense of entitlement to approach them. Short of a reality show, or better yet, less income inequality, we need a campaign to help mobilize adults to seek out opportunities to help champion other people’s children.” Hosting events like these helpful organizations are doing in Pendleton is a start. If you want to learn more about becoming the kind of advocate and mentor that Jean Rhodes has described, please consider partnering with Impact Mentoring or other similar groups that are a good fit for you, and help “other people’s children” to thrive. Listen to her podcast here : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentoring-u/id572519617?i=1000378244402 Learn More Becoming a Mentor with Impact Pendleton: Check it out at: https://www.impactpendleton.com/become-a-mentor.html -Contributed by Suzanne Church, AmeriCorps Mentor Coordinator |
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