|
Being Mayhew: The Mayhew Program
| |
How an Island Experience Became a Permanent Presence in Young Boys' Lives
| |
“Boys often come to us because of the challenges they face—which might include behavior issues at school or home, family problems, or simply a lack of opportunities to grow and excel. But it’s important they understand they are not defined by their challenges, but by how they respond to them. Mayhew focuses on helping them see and develop their strengths, to act and build on all that they can do.
| |
|
That’s how Jim Nute—Executive Director of the Mayhew Program—explains the program's operating philosophy. Serving at-risk boys from all over New Hampshire, Mayhew begins with a 2 year, 25-day residential summer camp experience for boys aged 10-12. This challenge takes place on Mayhew Island, an otherwise uninhabited island on Newfound Lake in New Hampshire.
| |
A Literal Island, and an Important Metaphor
As an island with no bridge to the mainland, everything has to be brought in by boat. Jim Nute explains the significance:
| |
"Being on an island is immensely important to the nature of Mayhew. Boys—and staff—are physically set apart from the mainland, their lives and their reputations back home. At the same time, it forces a sense of community in a way that is hard to match anywhere else. If we need supplies, we have to boat them over. Whenever something needs to be done, we have to find a way to do it ourselves."
| |
It would be a mistake, however, to describe Mayhew in terms of The Island Challenge alone. In fact, what makes the program really remarkable is that it is designed to be a year-round, permanent, supportive presence in these young boys' lives.
| |
Year-Round Support
This support begins during the years that boys are participating in The Island Challenge (2 consecutive summers), with Mayhew staff meeting with boys at least once a month throughout the school year. In the third year, boys have an opportunity to participate in a 4.5 day summer adventure experience, and Mayhew Staff continue to meet with them regularly right through high school graduation.
Staff usually meet with the boys in small groups of two or three in their home communities and will schedule some form of activity like hiking, playing basketball, kayaking or going bowling. Sometimes a visit is simply taking a long walk around the neighborhood when things are really tough to have someone to talk to. Staff also regularly attend big events in boys' lives like sports contests, plays, and graduations:
| |
"Many of the boys come from homes where mom is trying to make ends meet financially, or where they're going through some trying times. Our goal is to provide a steadying presence, offering mentoring and advice, but also just companionship and support. If at all possible, we try to have the same staff member working with a boy throughout his eight-year career with Mayhew."
| |
Bringing Out the Best Self
Besides the immediate support, comfort and encouragement that these regular meetings can provide, Nute identifies another—perhaps deeper—function, and that's to help boys see that the boy they are on the island is the same boy that's trying to overcome struggles at home.
| |
"We call it 'Being Mayhew', this idea that you are a part of a community with values, responsibilities and expectations, wherever you are. If you found a way to work with others to overcome a problem on the island, you can find a way to do the same back home, too. It's reminding these boys that their best selves have always been inside them—we're not out to change them, but to help them find their best."
| |
A Prestigious Award
This year, the program received the American Camp Association's Eleanor P Eells Award, which recognizes program excellence, dedication to continuous improvement, and the sharing of knowledge and best practices. This award has been and will continue to be helpful to Mayhew's efforts to grow awareness of its work, says Nute.
| |
"We're trying to offer the most meaningful program we can, so being noticed by others in this way allows us to share the program with people we hope will join our community. Even in New Hampshire, we are a small program—a hidden gem in the state. We now get to spread the word more widely and more powerfully, and hopefully provide an inspiration for others too."
| |
|
|
|
|