Mentoring Programs

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INDIVIDUAL MENTORING

The goals of individual mentoring programs are to:

Foster relationships between youth and caring adults

Help youth develop coping skills, positive self-esteem, and social competencies

Assist youth in navigating their world with the help of a positive adult role model

REAL Mentoring

REAL Mentoring, an Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Enhancement grant to the individual mentoring programs, allows for the expansion of services to include Juvenile Review Board referrals with a youth initiated model. Utilizing natural supports and establishing community connectedness increases the likeliness for positive outcomes and long lasting behavior change in youth.

“Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.” ~Josh Shipp

Mentoring youth

INVEST IN OUR FUTURE - VOLUNTEER TO BE A MENTOR

Mentoring provides youth with high-quality, one-to-one, same gender, adult mentors. Youth are positively impacted by mentoring in a variety of ways:

♥ Better school attendance
♥ Better school performance
♥ Better chance of going on to higher education
♥ Better attitudes toward school
♥ Improved self-esteem
♥ Less likely to use of alcohol and illegal drugs
♥ Increased social skills and ability to relate to a variety of people
♥ Better able to set career goals and taking steps to realize them
♥ Better prepared to participate positively in the workforce

Mentored at-risk youth showed gains in:
♥ Social acceptance
♥ Academic attitudes
♥ Grades

For more information about how you can become a volunteer mentor in our individual mentoring programs, please contact our Mentor Coordinator, Dominiqua Bethea at 203-573-0264 or dbethea@waterburyyouthservices.org