During the engagement phase, CAPTains facilitate 8 value-based sessions designed to teach foster youth essential life skills through interactive, experiential activities. Each session centers on a core value and translates it into practical, relatable lessons. For example, in the Resilience session, foster youth learn to navigate setbacks through a “Failure Resume” activity where they reflect on past challenges, identify lessons learned, and reframe failures as growth opportunities. They also engage in role-playing scenarios that teach problem-solving and emotional regulation when facing difficult situations. In the Gratitude session, mentees participate in crafting gratitude journals and writing appreciation letters to people who’ve impacted their lives, helping them recognize positive influences and develop a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. These sessions follow a consistent structure: opening with icebreakers to build rapport, followed by value introduction through relatable scenarios, hands-on activities that make abstract concepts tangible, group discussions for peer learning, and closing reflections that help internalize lessons. This approach impacts the foster community by providing consistent, safe spaces where foster youth can develop emotional regulation, perspective-taking, relationship skills, and self-awareness. The experiential nature of activities ensures learning goes beyond theory, equipping foster youth with practical tools they can immediately apply in their daily lives.

CAPTains experience significant personal growth through their engagement with foster youth across multiple dimensions, such as Empathy and Perspective-Taking, as they facilitate sessions like the Failure Resume activity challenges CAPTains to hold space for young people processing difficult experiences, deepening their capacity for non-judgmental listening and understanding diverse backgrounds. Hearing foster youth’s stories of resilience and struggle shifts CAPTains’ worldviews and increases their appreciation for their own circumstances. Another would be Communication and Facilitation Skills. Each member of KINDLE is tasked to plan and facilitate one session. Through this, they would need to work together with their fellow members and engage the kids, which develops multiple competencies simultaneously. During facilitation, CAPTains learn to adapt their communication style to their audience, breaking down complex concepts into age-appropriate language, reading the room to gauge engagement levels, and thinking on their feet when activities don’t go as planned. Lastly, another skill would be Emotional Intelligence. Working with foster youth who may have experienced trauma, instability, or trust issues requires CAPTains to develop greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and sensitivity. They learn to recognize when to push forward, when to give space, and how to respond appropriately to unexpected emotional moments.