We connect youth aged 8 to 25 living in Santa Clara County with caring adults who provide support, encouragement, and friendship. We believe that, regardless of background, every kid can use more positive influences in their lives to help them navigate the challenges of growing up.
Become a mentorDifferent ages need different support. We tailor our mentoring to where a young person is in their journey.
1 The Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, 2014.
Successful youth mentorship takes more than just a great mentor. We surround the mentor/mentee relationship with an approach that treats every situation uniquely — taking into account family circumstances, living arrangements, and job situations.
We also provide opportunities for mentees and their mentors to participate in larger group functions such as special events, workshops, group outings, and community service activities.
Every situation is different. We strive to understand each mentee as an individual and counsel both mentees and mentors so they can succeed together.
While one-on-one mentorship is the heart of our organization, we believe there is incredible value in building a greater community.
Discover Days are special events we organize, partnering with our local communities, to provide our mentees with activities that take them out of their comfort zone and help build their confidence. We strive to create events that challenge and teach them through fun and interesting experiences like rock climbing, horseback riding, community service, and more.
If you or your organization are interested in helping us plan a Discover Day, please reach out to us.
Our process has several steps to ensure a strong fit between mentees and mentors.
New mentees must be referred to us by parents/guardians or by adults at organizations such as schools, juvenile justice services, social services, or other community services.
Every referred mentee meets with our staff for an initial assessment of their needs and to validate that they meet the criteria for inclusion in our program.
Once needs are understood, we begin matching. We thoroughly vet new mentors — background check, fingerprints, training, personal interviews — and seek the best match based on interests, career path, and life experience.
We require the mentee, the mentee’s family or guardian, and the mentor to sign a written agreement stating their commitment to the mentoring program.
Mentee and mentor meet at least every other week. The first three months are monitored intensively, with formal check-ins at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to set goals and review progress.
