Mentoring Programs
1-to-1 Mentoring
Youth ages 8-17 living in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties meet with an adult mentor once a week for a 6 month or 1 year period. Mentors provide support, encouragement, and friendship and help their mentee learn important life skills. Together mentors and mentees participate in workshops, activities, and fun adventures, exposing mentees to new experiences and opportunities.
Group Mentoring
Students meet in small groups with mentors and staff during the transition between middle school and high school. Once a week during non-core classes, they share fun activities focused on relationship building, problem solving, navigating education and more. Groups attend frequent field trips to local colleges, companies and other activities around the Bay Area.
Whole Health for Youth Initiative
Whole Health for Youth Initiative is a coalition of community partners who strive to address youth mental challenges through collaboration. As the lead agency, FFY coordinates the coalition’s joint mental health trainings and wellness programs for youth, parents and program staff.
Mentoring Institute
Friends for Youth’s Mentoring Institute began in 1998 in response to the growing number of mentoring programs and youth serving organizations across the nation seeking support in establishing Best Practices programming. Through the Mentoring Institute we provide technical assistance and trainings.
OUTCOMES
Our programs are some of the most effective in the nation on key mentee behaviors and outcomes
300
youth served annually
95%
report increased self-esteem
87%
stay away from juvenile justice
100%
stay in school
86%
improve participation and grades
