Once a month, PYD brings its community together for Mentor Mixers – lively events where current Mentor Matches and prospective mentors and mentees can connect, laugh, and build new relationships.
From music and games to great food and creative activities, each Mixer is designed to make meeting new people feel easy and fun.
Last month’s gathering had a festive twist: a “Good Luck” St. Patrick’s Day theme. The room was full of energy as participants jumped into games and hands-on art activities led by Northeastern University’s Artistic Minds club, creating a welcoming space for new connections to spark.
As soon as participants entered the event space, they were welcomed with pizza, soda, and two activities to choose from. One activity involved creating fabric flowers; the other crafted a “pot of gold” with cardstock, pipe cleaners, and cotton balls. Once attendees were settled at the activity stations, PYD staff kicked off the event with an icebreaker game that asked everyone to answer a question within a few seconds or less. This game provided an opportunity for volunteers, staff, and participants to interact with each other and meet new people.
Mentor Mixers are a perfect opportunity for PYD matches to come together and create a stronger bond. Justin and Gil, a mentor and mentee, spoke about their match experience.
Justin (mentor): “I like learning new things about Gil, and his interests. They are things I might’ve not been familiar with, but when we go to things, like the Museum of Science, I learn so much about Gil and the things he’s into. It’s just so cool to learn about his interests, because I’m learning something new as well.”
Gil (mentee): “It’s fun to hang out with someone. Justin and I go to my favorite museums and it’s really cool. I’ve been paired with Justin for about six months, and we’ve had a lot of fun together. He listens to me when I tell him about exhibits we see at the museum, and I like talking to someone who is interested in hearing what I like. I hope we can go to the Children’s Museum soon! That’s my favorite one and I know all the rooms in there.”
Justin: “Yeah, I would love to check it out! Gil’s told me so much about it, and it would be awesome to spend more time with him and see more of what he likes.”
The March Mentor Mixer, which had over 20 attendees, was a success and everyone went home with their own handmade art project and even more connections with other PYD mentoring participants. Thanks to everyone who came out!
