“Today was the best day I had in a long time,” writes Kiyatta on Facebook.
Kiyatta is a Berkeley High School senior and member of TheCIL’s Youth Program’s Mentor, Advocacy, and Peer Services (MAPS), a young adult peer mentoring program for Berkeley young people with a disability. She and her fellow mentees and mentors ventured to The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco on Saturday, March 9, for their monthly outing.
The museum brought back happy childhood memories.
During the exhibit, Giovana, a Berkeley City College student and MAPS mentor, posted on Facebook, “Feeling like a kid again.”
It told a story of Disney’s life through pictures, sound, and fun activities.
The museum’s creators explained on their website, “The Museum illuminates Walt Disney’s tremendous successes, disappointments, and unyielding optimism as he worked tirelessly to enhance the art of animation.”
This trip allowed mentors and mentees to bond with each other for the entire day.
Kiyatta also wrote, “It made me see people differently and soak up the small things in life.”
MAPS’s mission is to assist young people from ages 15 to 26 transition from parental care and living at home to becoming more independent. They must learn new things and think outside the box. The program’s mentors help their mentees receive higher education or a job. They also teach them how to become involved with the community.
Kaye, Youth Program Administrator at the Center for Independent Living, believes, “The MAPS program utilizes peer mentorship as a prevention and early intervention technique in youth behavioral development.”
As a legendary cartoonist, Walt Disney once said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles have strengthened me….”
