What does it look like to belong?

"Watch me!” With all the joy a dimpled grin can convey, Jason keeps his eyes on the delighted face of his mentor. He jumps twice and flips onto his back on the trampoline. Jennae, a Life Buddies mentor, celebrates with him before returning to the house where Beth, another mentor, dishes out snacks, encouraging healthy options before consenting to requests for chocolate chips.

A voice calls from the basement. Marta wants to be found. Jennae descends the stairs and sees a suspicious pile of pillows. Suddenly the pillows fly in every direction as Marta leaps up and jumps to a nearby beanbag. "There she is!" Jennae exclaims. Marta giggles and hugs her mentor. 

Jason joins them and puts on a headset, pretending to play Apex on the nearby TV.

Chris, another mentor enters the room and sits beside Jason, listening to his commentary about the make-believe video game. "Do you know what an 'apex' is?," Chris asks.

"It's the game," Jason answers.

"Apex is the peak of something, the highest point."

Jason appears uninterested in this information but is happy for the company just the same.

Marta charges back up the stairs. Jennae follows. The kids move from the basement to the kitchen, from inside the house to outside and back. The three mentors move as well, connecting with each of the children, playing, teaching, protecting as needed. Each offers their unique gifts to those around them, regardless of whether they are that child's mentor or not. 

These moments are not the everyday life of a Bridge mentor. More often, they are on the run from school to school or playing a one-on-one game of tag with their Life Buddy in a park. Now and then, however, the team comes together and something magical happens: We get to show our kids something more than what each of us has to offer as an individual; we show them what it looks like to belong.