The Wiles of Urban Mentoring

A Day in the Life of An Urban Mentor/ Mentoring the Urban Captive

             While I waited to be fingerprinted, processes and vaccinated, I wondered, “What have I gotten myself into?” This mentoring experience is not what I expected.

            I knew Dorian long before he got arrested and sent to Boys School. It was only after he was released that we got reacquainted. My objective for the day: allow him to learn of my world. Instead, I got an “eye-opener” regarding his world-views and perspectives. Once we left police headquarter in order to complete my police check, it was time to take Dorian to the Juvenile Justice class on the local college campus.
            I took Dorian to class upon the request of my professor. Dorian looked forward to this day, having called me several times the night before. Even the day of, when I picked Dorian, up he had an entourage ready and begging of my attention. There was an older youth, one brother and another old acquaintance all ready to go somewhere. They must have gotten it twisted-I did plan to take them to an event later that evening however, this class session could only involve Dorian. They understood!
            As we went to class, it was clear that college was another world to Dorian. I hoped that the university experience would plant within him a desire to excel. The whole day involved nervousness, wondering if I could mentor Dorian as desired given the fickle nature of youths.
            The classroom topic for that day dealt with listening. I was amazed. After having gained experience working with youths, the topic of how to listen to youth was something missing in previous training. So needless to say, priority was placed on hearing what Dorian was feeling after class. Ironically, he was very upset about the class. He sort of felt picked on or used when asked, “What is it like to have a juvenile record? Is it difficult to avoid gangs and crime in Indianapolis?”
            Dorian did such a good job, interacted with the class with such finesses. “Why are you mad,” I questioned- Actually, I had forgotten, Dorian never was a simple personality to understand. To be honest, he has always been nice, but under the surface, there was a nasty side which was far from obvious. He recently confessed one day that the courts ordered him to either get a job and education or else return to jail. Days later, he said if he went to a court-ordered mental treatment facility, he could avoid the dangers of a new sentencing.
             So to be honest, perhaps it would require a psychologist to know about Dorian’s mind-set. After all, I couldn't understand why I should be terribly upset due to the fact that the college experience left him “cussing and screaming.”