The mentoring program made me realize there are people out there who need help, who need someone to talk to and some guidance, because they’re new to the area. I really like how comfortable my mentees are with me. They quickly started to treat me like I was their brother, someone they had known for quite some time. This program gave me a purpose – growing up, we didn’t have services like this in place to help me adapt and to help me figure things out. I had to figure everything out on my own. For that reason, I’m glad to be helping these kids navigate their environment and anything else that might trouble them. 

Gateway Community Services of Maine is a place where I can be myself and connect with my fellow youth and adult peers of the community. It’s where we get to enjoy ourselves, brainstorm ideas for the community or organize programs and events for the youth here in Maine. One of these programs is the mentoring program, which I am honored to be in. Not only is it a place for someone like me to connect with my youth peers, but also a way for me to grow as an individual and a human. This program will be the first of many beautiful things to come to our amazing Maine youth.

I am a mentor in the Youth Mentoring Program here at Gateway Community Services of Maine. I like meeting with my mentees every week to help them with their needs and schoolwork. It’s an opportunity for both of us to learn from each other as I am learning much from them as well. They remind me of myself when I was in high school and the challenges that I went through in adjusting to the U.S. In this program I can try to help them and provide ways to ease their transitional experience in high school and hopefully in college.

I help my mentees find jobs and pursue their educational goals. For example, I was able to help one of my mentees find the learning center and teach them how to use resources in the library to find books and study spaces. I feel that I have been able to connect with mentees both personally and professionally. What I love the most is helping them navigate and find their way around their new community.

Gateway has empowered me with community support, enabling me to be an active participant and give back through volunteering and advocacy.

Gateway has provided access to shared spaces, networks and support systems that helped me find my passion in the community and access points to professional endeavors.

Gateway Community Services Maine has been a crucial component in the success of our community. ‏‏It has not only been a platform for youth to share their experiences but a safe haven for many that don’t feel like they belong – Gateway has become their home. Thank you to Abdullahi and to everyone at Gateway for providing us a space where we can cultivate friendship and find our voices within the community.

The Somali Community Center of Maine (SCCM) wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to Gateway Community Services Maine for its continuing support of our programs and activities. Over the past 3 years, Gateway hosted numerous community events, sponsored activities and programs for the youth, and made financial contributions to our organization. The SCCM wishes Gateway Community Services Maine continued success in the future.

Gateway Community Services Maine is a low-barrier community organization that strives to advocate, support, and provide services, to Maine’s growing immigrant communities. I have watched their staff and volunteers work hard to make the lives of our new neighbors better. They deserve our support. Their work is important.

Gateway in just a couple short years has become an integral and invaluable resource to the immigrant, refugee, asylum seeker and asylee communities. Its community hub brings communities together for celebrations, meals, and community organizing. Gateway is on its path to becoming a welcome center so needed in our community. I am inspired for Abdullahi and his staff to grow their programs and support the vast multicultural communities in Greater Portland.