ABSTRACT
Skip Generations, a program of Family Resource Centers of Crestwood, located in Rochester, NY, offers a unique and empowering mentoring program to grandparents and other kin who are the primary caregivers for children. A pair of two kinship caregivers—primarily grandmothers raising their grandchildren—provides support and mentorship to other kinship caregivers in the community through home visits twice a month. The hope is that, after ayear of support from their mentors, the mentees will join one of the support groups that Skip Generations offers and eventually become mentors themselves. This program is driven by a philosophy of empowerment, and the immeasurable experience that these mentors have not only ensures they will be empathetic, but also makes certain they will become a valuable resource to their mentees. In the process of rearing their grandchildren, the grandparents in this program have endured a wide range of feelings and emotions. Through the home visits, participants in Skip Generations learn how to express— and work through—these emotions. They realize that they are not alone, and that they must be healthy themselves in order to adequately provide care and support to the children they are raising.
