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Friends for Youth
©2007 Copyright
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THE
NEED:
In Colorado alone there are over 13,000 youth who live
in out-of-home placement during some portion of the
year, an estimated 15,500 youth with an incarcerated
parent, and over 7000 youth on probation in the Denver
metro area. Studies show that because of multiple risk
factors, these youth are the most vulnerable to homelessness
and incarceration as adults.
OUR
VISION:
To reach out to these youth by providing caring adult
mentors,
safe gathering places, a caring faith community and
challenging experiences to assist them in reaching their
full potential.
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THE VEHICLE:
Mentoring is one of the most effective ways to help a young
person. Research shows that youth who meet regularly with their
mentors are: less likely to begin using alcohol and drugs, less
likely to turn to violence; do better in school; and have better
relationships with family and peers.
HISTORY:
Friends for Youth was launched in 1998, as a division of
Friends
in Transition, a program that has matched volunteers with
adult inmates in Colorado prisons since 1990. Experience
working within the correction system brought a deep awareness
of the ever-increasing prison population and the need to
provide early intervention.
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PROGRAMS:
- Community
Based One-to-One Mentoring
- Site-Based/Group
Mentoring in Community
- Site-Based/Group
Mentoring in Facility
PROFILE
OF YOUTH:
- Range
in age from ten to seventeen
- Reside
in the 5-county Denver metropolitan area
- Primarily
reside in single parent homes and out-of-home placements
(group homes, foster care, etc.)
- Are
referred to our program by parents, probation officers,
schools, and other social service agencies
- Voluntarily
commit to weekly contact with their mentor for a minimum
of one year
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PROFILE
OF VOLUNTEERS:
- Must
be 19 years or older for group/site-based mentoring, 21
or older for one-to-one
- Are
recruited primarily from faith-based communities in the
Denver metro area
- Must
complete a training and pass a thorough screening and assessment
proces
- Commit
to weekly visits with their youth for a minimum of one year
MENTOR
SUPPORT:
- Match
and Program Coordinators provide support, encouragement,
resources, and ongoing formal and informal training
for mentors
- Monthly
agency events (skiing/snowboarding, camping, horsebackriding,
community service)
- Information
about and tickets to sporting, community, and cultural
events
- Volunteer
appreciation get-togethers
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