Mentoring Creates Instant Friends and Lasting Connections

You can see it in the pictures: mentor Jarrett Rardon and his 7-year-old mentee Zidane were instant friends when they first met. 

Connected through Franklin County Children Services’ new 60 for Six mentoring program last summer, the two hit it off from the start and have already built a special bond. And during National Mentoring Month in January, the agency is hoping to replicate more of these important mentoring relationships.

Zidane is an exuberant second grader who lives with his grandma. He sees Rardon as a cherished friend: “He feels like someone that I have known for a long time.” he says. 

In just a few months, the two pals have enjoyed music lessons together, carved pumpkins, and gone fishing. Zidane even caught his very first fish last summer, a bluegill. “It was so cool.”

As for Mr. Rardon, who works as a research coordinator at Nationwide Children’s, becoming a mentor was especially important to him. Because of his own time spent in foster care in early adolescence, he knows firsthand what it’s like to be a kid involved in the child welfare system and the distinct social challenges it can bring, such as making and maintaining friendships. 

“Growing up as a foster kid, it’s hard to make friends,” he remembers. “Maybe you get moved around a lot or the situation that you were in before you were in foster care wasn’t conducive to bringing (friends) over to your family,”

“Just having friends is a big part of growing up and it can be especially difficult for foster youth,” Mr. Rardon shares.

National Mentoring Month is celebrated in January to recognize the power of mentoring relationships, raise awareness of the mentoring gap, and expand mentoring opportunities for young people.

For other adults thinking about stepping up to be a mentor in the new year, Mr. Rardon highly recommends the innovative 60 for Six program, which was what brought Zidane into his life. Through the program, mentors and mentees team up with other pairs on outings and group activities, learning from each other.

By creating a sense of community and providing structured learning opportunities, this collaborative mentoring cohort model encourages peer learning and camaraderie, according to Eboni Partlow, FCCS Director of Volunteers and Child Enrichment. 

Since they connected, Mr. Rardon is thoroughly enjoying his time spent with Zidane and the opportunity to model what a healthy relationship looks like. “I serve my mentee by teaching him how to have good friends, how to do healthy activities, and how to have fun,” 

He says, “Hopefully he gets more of these experiences he’s never had and he finds things he loves for the rest of his life.”

Insightful and curious, Zidane can be wise beyond his years, an endearing trait his mentor especially appreciates. “There are always things he says that don’t match his age.” 

“One cool thing I always hear him say is ‘Look how beautiful the sky is.’”

This sweet seven-year-old also tends to be thoughtful and kind. They both recalls trip to McDonald’s where Zidane insisted on giving him his Happy Meal toy. “He said, ‘You keep this, to remember this time,’” Mr. Rardon recalls. 

“He’s just a very loving, happy kid.”

MAKE A DIFFERENCE. BECOME A MENTOR

To learn more about the 60 for Six mentor program and sign up for the upcoming cohort which begins in early 2025, visit the FCCS website at fccs.us/volunteers-and-mentors.