We've helped over 2,000 youth reach their full potential.  Our 90% success rate of creating long-term mentoring matches is far above the 33-37% national average.

Studies have consistently shown that youth in our program improve their motivation and school performance, demonstrate increased self-esteem and resiliency, avoid negative behaviors, and rarely have future involvement with the Juvenile Justice System.

We first established our Mentoring Services program, providing direct 1-t0-1, community-based mentoring services to low-income youth ages 8 to 17 in San Mateo County and Northern Santa Clara Counties. Youth are referred by teachers, probation officers, and other youth professionals.

In 2016, in response to substantial need brought to us by Sequoia High School, we implemented a school-based, group mentoring program called Connect™. Incoming freshmen exhibiting academic challenges, behavioral and mental health issues, poverty, and social isolation are identified by the school and served through group mentoring sessions on campus. Connect™has now expanded to serve youth before and after the transition into high school, from 8th to 10th grade. 

Friends for Youth’s mission is to empower underserved youth through mentorship and community relationships.

Our vision is to provide every young person who needs a mentor with a mentor.

Our Core Values

Equity and social justice
Community-centered collaboration
Innovation and agility
Individual and organizational Integrity
Respectful, supportive relationships
Responsive, high quality service

Award-winning mentoring model

Friends for Youth represents the gold standard in the mentoring field. Mentoring programs throughout the country have requested technical assistance in setting up and enhancing their own mentoring programs.

In order to satisfy this demand, we founded our Mentoring Institute in 1998 with a grant from the Packard Foundation, allowing us to help agencies adopt our successful mentoring model so that more youth would benefit from consistent, caring, and safe mentoring relationships.

In addition to organizational techniques and staff training, we develop educational products to help youth-serving professional including SAFE mentor screening that protects youth mentoring programs from child predators.

KAREN WILMER

CEO Emeritus

karen@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2870

Karen’s role of CEO evolved from the Chief Operations Officer position that she primarily held at FFY since making the transition to non-profit organizational management in 2004. During her time with Friends of Youth, she has led numerous operational improvement projects, donor development initiatives for individual and corporate gifting, marketing, IT strategy, finance and human resources.

Karen’s previous for-profit career included vice-president of brand management for national and international businesses for corporations including Neutrogena, Oral-B, and Gillette; as well as a leadership role in a successful start up and IPO. Karen also ran a successful marketing consulting business (FBM Consulting) for 8 years.

CECILIA CHU, MSW

Executive Director

cecilia@friendsforyouth.org

650-368-4464

Cecilia has a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, a B.A. in Art Practice from UC Berkeley, and most recently, an MSW from Columbia University. She’s been in social services since 2013, starting off as an assistant teacher in Marin County, moving to Japan to teach English for a year and back to the Bay Area to begin her journey at Friends for Youth, running the 1-to-1 Mentoring Program for two years before her Masters. Cecilia worked in development for P2L and the International Rescue Committee in New York and has also worked in Corporate Social Responsibility before the pandemic hit. She has always hoped to run nonprofit programs that serve kids who reminded me so much of her and her younger brother. She hopes for a world where all kids can grow up happy and healthy and is very grateful to have the chance to work towards that in her job now.

Cecilia loves animals, especially dogs. She really loves activities and sports (was on the ultimate frisbee team at Cal), biking, spin and the outdoors. As of late, she is learning to golf and hopefully, surf.

2021 Lowenstein Fellow
2020 Hoffman Writing Award
2019 Tamer Fellow, Columbia Business School

JASMINE CARDENAS

Senior Group Program Coordinator

jasmine@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2864

Jasmine joined the Friends for Youth team in early 2018 as our 1-to-1 and Group Mentoring intern, and she is now the Associate Program Coordinator for the school-based group mentoring program. Jasmine is passionate about mentoring our school youth and making a difference in her own community. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and is currently completing a B.A. in Sociology at California State University, East Bay. In high school, Jasmine was a mentee through another non-profit organization on the peninsula and learned how life-changing mentoring can be. Her dream is to become a high school guidance counselor to continue making a difference with youth. Jasmine enjoys trying new foods, traveling, and playing with her puppy Mia! Entiende bien el español y habla un poco.

YANHIA CRESPIN

Program/Recruitment Coordinator

yanhia@friendsforyouth.org

650-482-2866

Bilingual (Spanish)

Yanhia (Yaya) started out as a volunteer group mentor with Friends for Youth, then joined the team as an intern, and is now a Program Coordinator. She continues to wear many hats including group program facilitation, recruitment, case management, and Whole Health for Youth outreach. She has 5+ years of youth development experience, and is going back to school to finish her degree in child psychology. Yaya played junior college level soccer at Skyline College and was a nanny for over 7 years. Family is Yaya’s inspiration, and she connects with the youth we serve through her own experience as a child of immigrants. She wants to be the positive role model and mentor that she wishes she had growing up. Yaya is passionate about her faith and community service. She loves to hike, travel, sing, dance, and spend time with her friends.

Ryan Campagna

Partnerships Coordinator

ryan@friendsforyouth.org

Ryan Campagna has worked in the youth development field for nearly 20 years with non-profit organizations, government agencies and school districts around the Bay Area. Ryan is dedicated to supporting low income youth and families and empowering staff to strive for self betterment and growth. In addition to his experience, Ryan is a first generation college graduate with a Master’s Degree in Social Work (PPSC) and a Bachelor of Art Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University. Ryan’s lifelong dedication to improving youth outcomes and proven track record of sustained growth and strategic leadership positions him to continually support underserved communities around the Bay Area.

Daisy Fernandez

1-to-1 Program Coordinator

daisy@friendsforyouth.org

(650)200-3368

Bilingual (Spanish)

Daisy started out as an intern with Friends for Youth and is now a 1-to-1 Program Coordinator. She is passionate about helping others in her community and working with youth to provide guidance through mentoring. Daisy was born and raised in the Bay Area and attended San Jose State University. She recently completed her BASW and hopes to become a children and family social worker to continue making positive changes in people’s lives. She loves to work out, go on hikes, and help others.

As a Program Coordinator with Friends for Youth, Joshua is excited to meet and develop relationships alongside families, mentees, and mentors within FFY. Joshua is originally from Santa Cruz, CA and recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University. His hobbies include: painting, watching and playing soccer, and, lastly but certainly not least, building LEGO's.

EUNICE NAVARRO

Development Associate

eunice@friendsforyouth.org

650-769-6310

Bilingual (Spanish)

Fany Villalobos

Program Associate

fany@friendsforyouth.org

Bilingual (Spanish)

Fany started out as a volunteer group mentor in 2018. She then joined the team as an intern and is now a Program Associate. Fany has an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice and hopes to one day be a probation officer. She is a San Mateo native and has 4+ years of youth development experience. She is passionate about working with children and loves to help in her community. She enjoys outdoor activities and helping others when possible.

Bhavya Jha

Partnerships Coordinator

bhavya@friendsforyouth.org

Bhavya has a B.A. in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice from Queen’s University Belfast. She is passionate about building meaningful relationships across cultures while promoting social and emotional well-being. As a Programs Coordinator with Friends For Youth, Bhavya hopes to provide culturally-sensitive, social and emotional support to youth, all while encouraging them to realize their full potentials. In her free time, she loves to spend quality time with her friends, dive into the ocean, binge-watch Netflix, journal, meditate, explore new foods, listen to Afro-beats and have deep existential conversations about the human experience.