IISTL Youth Mentoring: A Visit to the St. Louis Art Museum and Fortifying Connections

By Marisa Tesoro

A painting with stormy weather, a religious painting, a painting with red in it. These were just a few of the items Youth Mentoring (YM) participants had to find at the St. Louis Art Museum during a recent visit.

Katherine Schoeberle, Teen Programs Coordinator at the International Institute of St. Louis, created bingo cards to encouraged attendees to explore the museum. People grouped off in search of various items and won a candy prize at the end after completing their cards.

“You could find all those things in one section [of the museum], but it forced them to look around and actually look at the paintings and incorporate a little English in there, as well,” said Schoeberle.

More than 20 people attended, the majority of them being youth mentees, to explore the museum. For most of them, it was their first visit.

While they appreciated the field trip and sights offered by museum, for Schoeberle and these participants, it’s also about simply having the opportunity to connect with new people amid new experiences.

For example, at a previous event, two girls from Afghanistan had the chance to meet and found out they were both from Kabul. They arrived in the U.S. at different times, are not the same age, and attend different schools. But their paths finally crossed at a YM event.

She shared another anecdote of sisters who arrived from Uganda and speak Luganda, which one would only know this language if you live in Uganda.

“Most of the other Congolese refugees speak Swahili,” so it was hard for the sisters to interact and communicate with other the other YM participants.

But then Schoeberle introduced them to two boys, also from Uganda and in the YM program, and the four have hit it off ever since.

“The thing I love about these group events is that they meet people they might not meet otherwise,” said Schoeberle.

With a growing list of interested mentees, Schoeberle is considering starting a wait list for those interested as she reached a record of 31 mentees during this most recent session. Her goal for the year was 35, and she should have no trouble reaching it.

So if you or anyone you know might be interested in being a mentor for the program, you can learn more and sign up here (scroll down to Refugee Youth Mentoring Program).