At Friends of the Children, we serve children and families who struggle daily to overcome the immense barriers created by systemic racism. We know that 400 years of history cannot be reversed quickly, so we commit to walk beside each child for 12+ years, no matter what!
Our Professional Mentors work tirelessly to help each child develop the Core Assets they need to thrive, including Hope and Belonging. But our children are bombarded regularly with the opposite message, that they do not belong, that they have no reason to hope. In the last ten days alone, they have seen the news of both Jacob Blake being shot repeatedly in the back at point blank range by a Kenosha policeman, and of Dijon Kizzee being shot and killed by Los Angeles police after being stopped for riding a bicycle “in violation of vehicle codes.”
This horrifying cycle of brutality must end! Our focus on one-on-one mentoring is critical to our children’s future but we cannot serve their interests fully unless we also add our voices to those seeking change on a broader scale, those who demand justice. We pledge to:
Educate ourselves about the pervasive effects of systemic racism, including those that lurk inside each of us;
Talk honestly with our friends – especially our White friends – about race in America;
Work to elect candidates who seek justice and reconciliation, not hatred and division;
Support organizations that are working to dismantle systemic racism; and
Reaffirm at every turn that Black Lives Matter.
Please join us in our commitment to our children and families, and to pursuing the cause of racial justice – no matter what!
Michael Rugen
SF Co-Founder & Executive Director
Friends of the Children - SF Bay Area
At Friends of the Children–SF Bay Area, we serve children who face multiple systemic obstacles, providing each with a professional, salaried — not volunteer — mentor to walk beside them from kindergarten through high school graduation. Our long-term commitment to each child means more than ever during this unprecedented pandemic — 12+ years, no matter what!
Mentoring Presents a Real Opportunity in Addressing Childhood Trauma
Medical experts agree that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a long-lasting negative impact on a person’s overall health and well-being. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s Surgeon General, has identified long-term adult mentoring as one of the most effective interventions for children who have been exposed to multiple, severe ACEs.
