The Meelia Center has been partnered with the John H. Sununu Youth Services Center for more than 20 years. Sununu is a secured facility for adjudicated boys and girls. These youth are sent there by the courts for offenses that would be criminal if they were adults. Having said that, the delinquent offenses vary widely. The boys and girls at Sununu are as young as 12 years old and up to 17 years old. When residents leave, they are usually still under monitoring by a Juvenile Probation/Parole worker.  The youth are most often from families that struggle with poverty, violence and addictions. Sununu is run by the state and is the only one of its type in New Hampshire.

Saint Anselm volunteers and service-learners help with homework and mentoring, they run a democracy in action program called Public Achievement, and a Career Coaching program, and recently started a poetry class.  Some trusted residents have participated in on-campus activities, such as the wiffleball tournament and Access Academy.

“There are currently 20+ students volunteering there, which is close to the peak involvement in numbers and range of activity.  Maggie Walker and Luke Testa have done a great job,” says Dan Forbes. “Sununu kids are for the most part very open to working with Saint Anselm students.  With some you need to be patient as they have built some pretty high walls to protect themselves, while others are eager for any positive attention.  Most St A’s students who go find the engagement very rewarding as the need is real and there is genuine potential to make a difference,” he continues.

Maggie Walker ’17 reflects upon her experience as a coordinator alongside Maggie Lynch ’17. Although Walker no longer works at Sununu, she hopes to continue volunteering there if she gets a job in that area. Walker and Lynch are coordinators for Public Achievement – a small group that works towards change while also learning the Democratic process and the importance of civic involvement.

“I have been a coordinator three other times in my sophomore and junior year and projects that we took on included enhancing their educational system and advocating for more educational trips out into the community. I am really excited to get the opportunity to finish out my college career as a Public Achievement coordinator because it was one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable experiences [I’ve] had throughout my four years here,” says Walker.

Cara Onyski ’19 career coaches and mentors at Sununu and loves working with all the kids there. “It is so much fun to teach them important information about applying to college or how to start looking for jobs and what they will need. I think it’s so great because some of the kids there don’t have great home lives and they don’t have the resources to talk about all of this important information with.”

“By being there I can show them how to do things my parents taught me, like how to make a resume and how to apply to college and practice interviews. My parents were a huge influence in most of my decisions and I know that some of their parents are not as present as mine were, but to have a peer and someone of the same age range I think it’s great. They pay attention more and want to learn these important skills, it’s also so great because I can do activities with them. We are about the same age and all of the things we teach are so relevant to both their lives and mine which is nice,” says Onyski.

She continues, “I also believe mentoring is a great program because it gives the kids a different face and attitude to look at and to be around. My mentee is awesome! She loves when I visit, because we talk about college, and school and outside activities.”