Children who participate in the MentorMatch Harrisonburg program will now receive free entry into American Shakespeare Center plays, which includes access to the actors. The partnership between non-profit
Lutheran Family Services and the theater was sparked through a shared belief that exposure to the arts is vital for inspiring and educating today's youth.
MentorMatch pairs adult mentors with children in foster care or who are caught up in the juvenile justice system to help them cope with their complicated lives and to give them someone to look up to and seek out for advice. Mentors meet twice a week for two hours with the young person they have been assigned.
The basic premise behind a mentorship program is that participating children will seek out their mentors when considering a potentially reckless decision. The child will then be encouraged to make the better decision, which keeps them out of trouble and teaches them how to properly handle comparable situations in the future.
To become a mentor, please visit their web site. If you know a Virginian child who could benefit from the program, you visit their Refer a Child page.
You may download Lutheran Family Services' press release on their new partnership with The American Shakespeare Center here.
