BEST Kids COVID-19 Response

​We have moved to a model of virtual mentoring for the time being due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time of uncertainty, it is especially important for our mentees to have consistent communication with their mentors. BEST Kids is dedicated in providing our matches with a wide variety of activities to make e-mentoring fun, providing our families with beneficial resources and providing training's to our mentors to help ease into this new normal.

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Mentoring from Home

• ​Social Distancing with DPR - The department of Parks and Recreation is providing it's activities, sports and programs into online content you can access at home. Incorporate these fun activities into your interactions with your mentee. 
• At Home Together - Join celebrities for online shows and performances.
• How Stuff Works - Does your mentee wonder how the world actually works? Explore thousands of easy-to-understand answers and explanations.
• Podcasts for Kids - Explore the 25 best podcasts for kids with your mentee.
• Podcasts for Teens - Explore the 10 best podcasts for tweens and teens.
• Young Writers Project - Join a community of young writers and artists who create and connect online through words, photos, and art.
• 30 Day Song Challenge - Do you and your mentee enjoy listening to music together? Try this 30 day song challenge! One day find a song that makes you dance and the next day find a song that makes you happy. 
• Vision boards/Collage - Choose a theme like: 'What do I want in my future?", "What is fashion?", "What I want to be", and both of you find pictures and words in old magazines and glue them onto a poster. 
• Virtual Field Trips - Go on a virtual field trip with your mentee. Explore the San Diego Zoo or go to Mars! Check out the long list of field trips you can explore with your mentee here. 
• Netflix Party - Netflix Party is a new way to watch a movie with your mentee and it's FREE to download. Netflix synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows/movies. Please make sure you both are watching age appropriate movies. 

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For even more fun virtual activities to do with your mentee, please visit BEST Kids Virtual mentoring guide here!

Protect Your Mental Health

• COVID-19 Self-Care Tools - As we are navigating the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, naming and allowing ourselves to feel and process, without judgement or guilt, is important for our mental and physical health.
• Self Help Guide: How to Manage Fear, Worries, Anxiety, Depression, Mood - Hofstra University Program in Clinical Psychology has provided an article discussing ways we can cope and manage our emotions during a Pandemic. Browse through to get an understanding on what fear, anxiety, depression and sadness is. 
• How to help Teens with Social Distancing -Compared to young children, teenagers and young adults living and learning at home during the COVID-19 crisis may be feeling the loss of social connections and life experiences while struggling to manage their time. Read how Health professions help address how to navigate these challenges. 
• Advice for Stressed Children - The Center for Anxiety has provided useful articles and resources that can be helpful in discussing COVID-19 and how to help reduce anxiety. 

Resources

• Child Welfare COVID Resources - Learn how COVID is affecting children and families in child protection, foster care, adoption and guardianship, as well as the increased risks it presents for child abuse and neglect. 
• Tech Help - One Simple Wish is working to get laptops into the hands of displaced students. Contact them by email at info@onesimplewish.org. They can also help by connecting you with donors who may be able to fill other small needs
• Together We Rise - Is your mentee having trouble getting what they need to learn online? Together We Rise is supporting youth in foster care in need of laptops, Wi-Fi, school support and more. 
• Tips for Mentors shifting to Text-base communication - Maryland Mentor has provided Mentors with helpful tips on how to shift to text-based communication. Browse through this article to find the best ways to navigate texts with your mentee during this Pandemic.
• Find Help - Mentees and their caregivers may need extra support during this difficult time, or they might know someone who could benefit from community resources. Find Help provides contact information for community services that can support with food assistance, help paying bills, and other free or reduced-cost programs that help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Meal Sites - Due to the District of Columbia Public Schools schedule change, meals will be available to students on weekdays to anyone under the age of 18. Please check out the various sites, days and times that are available to receive meals and the Metrobus routes serving DC Schools meal locations.
• Healthy Corners - To ensure that nutritious food is available in all DC neighborhoods, DC Central Kitchen's Healthy Corners program is continuing operations and discounting fresh, whole fruits and vegetables up to 50%.  
• Testing Sites - Learn more about COVID-19 testing sites available in DC.

Training

• Online Mental Health First Aid Course - American Red Cross has developed a free Mental Health First Aid for COVID-19 course that can be taken online in less than one hour.The course is designed to help anyone impacted by COVID-19 to build resilience and lend support to others during and after this time. Topics, developed with the expertise of the Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council and the Canadian Red Cross, include recognizing stress as well as caring for yourself while supporting your family and coworkers. Sign up for the course here!