YLC Spotlight: Ashiya Boone
On March 31st, 2022, Mass Mentoring Partnership’s Youth Leadership Council led one of MMP’s most important annual events: Youth Mentoring Day.
Youth Mentoring Day (YMD) is a youth-led legislative advocacy event in which youth and mentoring program staff from across Massachusetts hear about legislative issues affecting young people, are trained in advocacy by members of the Youth Leadership Council (YLC), and are given the chance to meet with legislative offices regarding topics like the Mentor Matching Grant line item, which controls the State’s funding for mentoring organizations.
Ashiya Boone (featured right), a senior at Southbridge High School and the only member of the YLC to serve as a second year member, joined us for an interview regarding her experiences as part of the council.
Q. What has been the best part about being in the YLC?
A. The best part about being in the YLC for me is the bonds and connections I’ve made. Through the process of learning how mentoring impacts youth and how to become a youth leader, I think that meeting and connecting with other teenagers my age made the process easier.
Q. What have you learned from being in the YLC?
A. I’ve learned a lot from being part of the YLC, but the most prominent thing I’ve learned is that advocacy takes patience and perseverance. Change takes time, but those steps it takes toward change are crucial to the process. YLC has definitely taught me to be versatile, but also forward in my goals.
Q. What did you think of Youth Mentoring Day, and the YLC’s role in it?
A. Youth Mentoring Day is an inspiration to everyone who joins in on it! YLC, as a team, put a lot of time and effort into it and I think it shows in the amount of support we got and the enthusiasm shown by youth and adult leaders.
Q. How have you been able to apply what you have learned as part of the YLC?
A. I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learned in YLC by taking on a bigger role in my community as a leader. As President of my school’s Black Student Union, I’ve been meeting with my school administration to create safer spaces for students of color at my school and making information more accessible. #mentoringamplifies