What is a WAY Alliance Small Group?

There are four main WAY Alliance volunteer positions that we call the Big 4. These four positions are vital in helping us accomplish our mission to serve youth aging out of foster care.

The Big 4 volunteer positions are the:

1. Resource Coordinator
2. Match Coordinator
3. Small Group
4. Mentor

We call these positions the Big 4 because they make up the core of our program. Each of these positions has ongoing responsibilities, and each volunteer position is connected—or matched—to a specific youth in our program.

You can click on the links above to read about the other volunteer positions, but in this post, we’ll talk about the Small Group.

The Small Group

A WAY Alliance Small Group is matched with a specific youth in our program and consists of at least eight adults over the age of 24. In some cases, a youth’s mentor might even be one of the members of the Small Group.

The Small Group has two primary responsibilities.

1. They pray specifically for the youth each month. During the youth’s regular check-ins with their Match Coordinator, they will be asked what specific needs they’d like their Small Group to pray about.
2. The Small Group also sends cards, letters, or small gifts to the youth on their birthday and during holidays (like Thanksgiving and Christmas). In this way, the Group acts as sort of an extended family, making sure they let the youth know that they are loved and cared for and never forgotten.

While these are the only official duties of the Small Groups, the Group may also choose to serve the youth in other ways. For example, if the mentor discovers their mentee has a specific material need—perhaps they are moving into a new apartment or a dorm and need some household supplies—the mentor, through their Match Coordinator, will let the Small Group know about that specific need. The Small Group can then either choose to meet that material need themselves or not—it’s entirely optional. The youth may also decide they’d like to meet their Small Group in-person. This might mean the Small Group organizes a formal get-together in honor of the youth.

• Sign up for an upcoming Volunteer Info Meeting to learn more about how you can volunteer.
• Download a printable PDF that describes the role and responsibilities of a Small Group.