[Good Shepherd’s Mentoring Program]
Good Shepherd’s Mentoring Program is dedicated to helping young people in GSS foster care programs build relationships and develop skills through community-based events.
Photo: Good Shepherd Services
On October 30, Good Shepherd Services (GSS) hosted its final October movie night for participants in Good Shepherd foster programs and their mentors, screening Black Panther with filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who directed the film, and Marvel Comics illustrator Sanford Greene in attendance as special guests.
The special showing came as part of Good Shepherd’s “Movies with Mentors” series, which celebrated the work of the late Chadwick Boseman throughout the month of October.
During the Black Panther screening, filmmaker Ryan Coogler joined attendees for a 20-minute Zoom Q&A. The Black Panther screening – as well as the whole “Movies with Mentors” series – gave foster youth an opportunity to bond with each other and program mentors during this difficult time of social isolation. Good Shepherd’s Mentoring Program is dedicated to helping young people in GSS foster care programs build relationships and develop skills through community-based events.
“We believe that young people in foster care deserve positive role models that help them to see what they can be – and our mentors do just that. It’s also important for young people to see themselves represented in the media, and throughout the month, these groundbreaking films have shown our foster youth that they are valued, capable, and resilient,” said Michelle Yanche, Executive Director of Good Shepherd Services. “We cannot thank Ryan Coogler and Sanford Greene enough for dedicating time to lift the spirits and confidence of our youth. And, as always, we thank our mentors for their constant support in the lives of our young people.”
“I just want to say the movie Black Panther has really, really, really gave me my culture. Being an immigrant and coming to America at a young age, I don’t know much about my history as an African, so when I [saw] that movie it was so spiritual to me. I felt connected. I felt so happy. It made me feel more comfortable in my skin, as a person, as a woman,” said Assanatu Afriju, participant of the mentoring program.
Throughout the month, in addition to Black Panther, Good Shepherd also showed several other Boseman films including 42: The Jackie Robinson Story, Get On Up: The James Brown Story, and Marshall: The Thurgood Marshall Story.
As one of the largest providers of youth services in New York City, Good Shepherd Services serves over 30,000 children and families each year and provides an array of youth and family programming focusing on family, education, youth justice, and housing for the New York City community.
