Submitted by Patti Brisley
Photographed are Ava Crane, current Winter YES 2023 program participant delivering the plaque to Hayden Haynes!
January has been declared National Mentoring Month as stated by the Workforce GPS, a resource used by the TERC Department whose funding comes from the Dept. of Labor. Workforce GPS says,
“Each January, we unite as a community to recognize the dedicated mentors whose wisdom, guidance, and positive examples set new workers on a path to success, and to affirm the value of mentorship in the career trajectory of jobs-seekers and workers in our communities” – Jan. 2, 2024.
In recognition of this, TERC would like to honor Hayden Haynes at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum/Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center. For the past four years and beyond, Hayden has always offered the SINM as a worksite for the annual Summer and Afterschool YES Programs, each time taking on not only 1 but a handful of youth.
Youth are placed in worksites according to their career interests or what they want to pursue in college which with the SINM, include many facets:
Youth interested in learning Haudenosaunee history, culture, language, and traditions; youth interested in working in the arts, retail, business, customer service; youth interested in museum studies – archivists, curators, tour guides/educators, archaeology, historical preservation, etc.
Hayden has always been an advocate for our youth, our next generation, and the youth really love working and learning under him. Being an artist himself, the youth look up to him and the way he balances his personal time to commit to his artwork and to his role at the museum.
When TERC looks for departments to take youth, we want to commit to teaching youth what their department does and how it operates, to teach youth how they can contribute to the department, but more importantly, to take them under their wing, to really guide them, teach them, mentor them.
A dedicated mentor is one whose wisdom, guidance and positive example sets youth on a path of success, and that is what Hayden is! Nya:wëh Hayden!
