Partners Mentoring Youth Creates Positive Relationships for Youth in Northern Colorado

Bohemian Foundation believes helping youth to have positive role models in their lives is important. Creating opportunities for youth to function as contributing citizens and appreciate the community around them is a significant part of the programs the Foundation seeks to fund.

Partners Mentoring Youth is an example of a program that provides positive relationships for youth in Northern Colorado. The organization works to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships between positive adult role models and youth facing challenges in their personal, social, and academic lives.

Recently, on a brisk fall evening, 54 Junior Partners, Senior Partners and Nexus members (kids that do not have a partner, but are on the waiting list) headed out to a local corn maze for a evening of fun—between the three corn mazes, hay rides, and hot chocolate there was fun to be had by all, kids and adults alike.

Jericha, a participate in the Nexus program, sat outside the horror maze debating to go in—“man it looks really scary in there.” In the background you could hear screams coming from the maze that only increased the fear.

The truth is, real life is a scarier for most of these kids than what they will experience in the corn maze.

Jill Homann, a program coordinator for Partners says that the children are referred by professionals in the community, many organizations like Child Safe, Larimer County Mental Health, and the School Districts refer youth they believe are in need of a positive role model in their life.” She went on to say, “The things the Junior Partners enjoy are some of the most basic; going to the grocery store and learning that the produce is always on the outside of the store, walking the dog, activities that many of us would just consider ‘normal.’” Jill continued to tell a story of an 8th grade Junior Partner that recently went to Home Depot for the first time with his Senior Partner and it was the most exciting experience of his life.

Emily, a young teenager who has been in the program for two years, was recently just matched with a new partner. She talked about what the program meant to her, “They really match you with someone you have a lot in common with, knowing I have a mentor helps me get through the day, knowing there is someone I can trust.”

Partners Mentoring Youth oversees about 130 Junior/Senior Partnerships in Northern Colorado, and the Nexus program which is where the kids wait to be matched with a partner, but can participate in the group activities like the one at the corn maze. Currently there are 98 boys and 32 girls waiting for a mentor. The demand is clearly far greater than the number of mentors lining up, and as Homann says, “Each volunteer has something special to bring, and they don’t have to have a certain expertise, just someone who wants to be a good role model for a child.”

Volunteers are expected to give a one-year commitment of 3 hours a week with their Junior Partner, but that is just the minimum. Not surprising the Senior Partners learn a lot from their Junior Partners, and the retention rate of Senior Partners is about 70-80%.

“I am learning about the turmoil of being a 5th grader,” said Andrea a Senior Partner. “There is certainly a lot to learn from a different life perspective.”

The most important thing about partners Emily said, “It helps me not feel so alone and I have someone to talk to”

As the Senior Partners find an opportunity to be a kid again, and the Junior Partners have fun at the corn maze, the Partners Mentoring Youth program is working in the community to help find positive role- models for youth facing challenges, and hopefully helping to make life a little less difficult for some kids in Northern Colorado.