Youth2Youth is a peer mentoring program that hires Guardian Scholars as mentors to current foster youth. These mentors have walked similar paths as their mentees, and have been in their shoes.

Mentors are coached and trained on how to share their wisdom and experience with youth currently in care. They help mentees overcome their past, focus on the present, and inspire them to create the lives they want for themselves.

To all our incredible peer mentors who are truly making a difference – we appreciate you!

Guardian Scholars’ parenting group held its January session recently. 9 Guardian Scholars, their 12 children – ranging from 1 to 16 years old, and Promises2Kids staff were on hand for an educational evening of fun.

The educational portion of the group centered on the tricky topic of child misbehavior and was filled with practical information and skills. Students learned techniques for staying calm during tantrums and other stressful situations as well as how to take time out to self-regulate.

Meanwhile, the children kept our team very busy playing with toys and games.

These quarterly sessions are for Promises2Kids staff that feature a variety of speakers and topics that focus on diversity and inclusion in different capacities to better understand and serve foster youth in San Diego.

We had the benefit of hearing from three members of this year’s Advocates for Change group. These Guardian Scholars shared their stories, discussed how staff can better empower them, took questions, and did an excellent job speaking to the group.

We believe that the youth we serve know their needs best and allowing them to lead the dialog is a fruitful experience for all.

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As a part of National Mentoring Month, we took part in the 2023 National Mentoring Summit last week! Our CEO & COO were present in our nation’s capital for several days of advocacy, learning, and connection.

We represented Promises2Kids and San Diego as part of the California team and met with the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Alex Padilla, and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs to advocate and discuss legislation aimed at closing the mentoring gap. This included the Fostering Youth Mentoring Act, a bill to give grant preference, and includes youth voices in the program design.

We were excited to take our youth advocacy to the level of legislative policy as we continue to work towards our mission to create a brighter future for San Diego’s foster youth.