• Letters from CAMP Rehoboth
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Advertising Information
    • Where Can I Get Letters?
    • The Write Stuff
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • SUNFESTIVAL 2022
    • Women's FEST
    • Block Party 2022
  • Programs
    • Arts & Culture
    • Education & Advocacy
    • Health & Wellness
    • Community Building
    • CAMP Facilities
  • About Us
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
    • Board of Directors
    • CAMP Rehoboth Staff
    • Reports and Financials
    • History
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Press
  • Resources
    • Beach Guide Directory
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Providers
    • LGBTQ Delaware Data
    • Trans & Nonbinary Resources
    • BIPOC LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Local and National Resources Guide
  • Contact
  • Shop
close× Call Us 302-227-5620
close×

Search form

September 25th, 2020 - LGBTQ+ YA Column by Barbara Antlitz

 

THRIVE Partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters

by Barbara Antlitz

Do you want to be a mentor? The award-winning CAMP Rehoboth LGBTQ+ youth program, THRIVE, is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware (BBBSDE).

“We are honored to be working with this organization, which has been serving Delaware youth and families since 1964, with the firm belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed,” says THRIVE’s Salvatore Seeley.

According to Tom Thunstrom, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Delaware, “While our agency has a long history of inclusiveness in service towards youth, several years ago we identified a critical need to develop a specialized mentoring program for LGBTQ+ youth. We have gone on to work with many schools and community organizations statewide in subsequent years.”

Now, THRIVE and BBBSDE are teaming up to find LGBTQ mentors willing to be big brothers and big sisters to work specifically with LGBTQ youngsters identified by the BBBSDE.

So, how does mentoring work? Mentoring supports, encourages, and helps children by providing an avenue to connect and empathize. The key in that approach is consistency and presence. Mentorship works best when the “big” (adult) mentor is present on a regular basis to support and provide guidance for the “little” (child) mentee.

Thunstrom goes on to say “We are proud to partner and ally with CAMP Rehoboth, supporting their tremendous efforts in Southern Delaware by offering one-to-one mentoring that builds upon the efforts that are currently taking place in area middle and high schools. Additionally, BBBSDE has recommitted its efforts to reach out and advocate for safe, effective mentoring by hiring a case worker in Sussex County who will provide resources and support for individualized mentoring for LGBTQ youth.”

According to BBBSDE, a 2017 CDC study on youth risk behavior reported that 13 percent of Delaware high school students self-identified as LGBTQ+, and faced significant stressors putting them at greater risk for depression, high-risk behaviors, and suicide. These students were almost twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ youth to report lacking an adult to talk to about personal problems. These increased risk factors make the need for mentoring all the more critical.

The role of BBBSDE is to support that mentoring relationship. It provides mentors with the resources and support necessary to help guide mentees through an unsettled world. The organization, under the leadership of training manager Tiyona McCollister trains prospective mentors—prior to working with a mentee—in child safety, inclusion, and how to effectively engage and work with a mentee. It also ensures mentors are vetted, performing background checks prior to bringing on a potential adult volunteer. As part of the process to match a mentor with a mentee, BBBSDE interviews and matches interests between the two to make sure the mentoring relationship is durable. They also provide ongoing match support to make sure matches are progressing successfully.

To learn more about BBBSDE programs, visit www.bbbsde.org or call 302.998.3577. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, email Salvatore@camprehoboth.com 

Barbara Antlitz, CAMP Rehoboth Youth Coordinator, works with Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) in middle and high schools in Kent and Sussex Counties, and with other groups supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Barbara can be reached by email at bantlitz@camprehoboth.com.

‹ September 25th, 2020 - Health & Wellness Classes up September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Cares by Kerry Hallett ›

Past Issues

Issues Index

  • December 11, 2020 - Issue Index
  • November 13, 2020 - Issue Index
  • October 16, 2020 - Issue Index
  • September 25th, 2020 - Issue Index
    • September 25th, 2020 - Cover to Cover with Issuu
    • September 25th, 2020 - The Way I See It by David Mariner
    • September 25th, 2020 - In Brief
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Matters by Murray Archibald
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Out by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Sundance 2020
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP News
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Conversation by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Intentionally Inclusive by Wesley Combs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Community News
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Rehoboth History Project by James T. Sears, PhD
    • September 25th, 2020 - Out & About: Belonging Matters by Eric C. Peterson
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Houses by Rich Barnett
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Critters
    • September 25th, 2020 - Who's That?...That's CAMP! by Anita Broccolino
    • September 25th, 2020 - Health and Wellness by Marj Shannon
    • September 25th, 2020 - Health & Wellness Classes
    • September 25th, 2020 - LGBTQ+ YA Column by Barbara Antlitz
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Cares by Kerry Hallett
    • September 25th, 2020 - It's My Life by Michael Thomas Ford
    • September 25th, 2020 - Out & Proud: Belonging Matters by Stefani Deoul
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Shots Gallery 1
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Shots Gallery 2
    • September 25th, 2020 - Historical Headliners by Ann Aptaker
    • September 25th, 2020 - Spotlight on the Arts by Doug Yetter
    • September 25th, 2020 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Courtyard View by Michael Gilles
    • September 25th, 2020 - Straight Talk by David Garrett
    • September 25th, 2020 - Dining OUT by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - The Real Dirt by Eric W. Wahl
    • September 25th, 2020 - Celebrity Interview by Chris Azzopardi
    • September 25th, 2020 - Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
    • September 25th, 2020 - We Remember
  • August 28, 2020 - Issue Index
  • August 14, 2020 - Issue Index
  • July 31, 2020 - Issue Index
  • July 17, 2020 Issue Index
  • June 19, 2020 Issue Index
  • May 22, 2020 - Issue Index
  • April 17, 2020 - Issue Index
  • March 6, 2020 - Issue Index
  • February 7, 2020 - Issue Index

Follow Us

Follow us on Social Media!

RECEIVE WEEKLY EMAIL

Information

  • Letters
  • Events
  • About Us
  • CAMP Center

Support CAMP

  • CAMP Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Copyright © CAMP Rehoboth, 2023
  • p. 302-227-5620
  • info@camprehoboth.com
  • 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971