Rick and Rebecca Newell started the M.U.S.T. mentoring program. The Hope Herd’s and M.U.S.T.’s mentoring models are very similar. The main reason that Rick and Rebecca are not doing this under the umbrella of M.U.S.T. is that race is not the near-peer tie that binds mentor and mentee. As we have asked people who are currently connected to foster care youth they all agree that the fact that both mentor and youth have been in foster care is greater and significantly more effective than the bond of race.  ‘Growing men from the hardest soil’ would not be the main point of the curriculum. As we have read and spoken to people in the foster care system they agree that the major need would center more on identity or value. These differences would mean that our curriculum would be vastly different.  The cost per match would be significantly higher for the foster care version of MUST. Because of the increased training for mentors and coaches, extra travel for mentors, extra education/experience needed for staff the cost per match would be significantly higher. The two or three years of support after high school would cost more as well.  Because the need of the hour in foster care is not positive male role models we would not just focus on boys. The foster care version of MUST would serve both boys and girls. Mentors would not need to be in college.  Because of the darkness and hopelessness present in much of the foster care system we feel some aspect of faith should be included in this next version of the mentoring model. Loving, accepting, grace filled faith. Not overbearing, judgmental, law filled faith.    Finally, because of the intensity of working in foster care, the leadership structure or practices would need to be different. Not that MUST, Rick or Kelvin is deficient in any major way, we just think it would be different in this new version. We are not exactly sure how yet.